The Jonin Exams
by HowdeeCoyote
Summary: This is not where it started. These Exams aren't the beginning of Sasuke and Sakura. But, important things aren't defined by their place in life; they are defined by their influence. This is a roller-coaster of doubt, angst, and pure romance all bundled into one incredible adventure. Grow with us. Learn with us. Join us for The Jonin Exams. [Post "The Last" *LEMONS* *SPOILERS*]
1. Chapter 1: Sakura, the Doer

**"** If you like the feeling of "just the tip of the iceberg" angst one chapter, and then drowning in fluffiness the next, then this story is definitely for you!" - **RosaXanthina**

 **SUMMERY:** This is not where it started. These Exams aren't the beginning of Sasuke and Sakura. But, important things aren't defined by their place in life; they are defined by their influence. This is a roller-coaster of doubt, angst, and pure romance all bundled into one incredible adventure. Grow with us. Learn with us. Join us for The Jonin Exams.

 **WARNING:** In this story, Sakura and Sasuke have their own demons to battle. This will end exactly how it's supposed to, on a HAPPY note. Even though everyone is sad and dramatic, there will be a light at the end of this tunnel. Chapter 5 is where the story picks up. Don't be intimidated by the chapter amount!

 **Note:** Characters grow from their original portrayal.

[ **Disclaimer:** Naruto is the property of its respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of BkCeallaigh. BkCeallaigh is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.]

 **Author's Note: I am looking for a Beta Reader. Please message me for inquires! Looking for someone to correct grammar/spelling mistakes. Thank you! (No time restraint, looking as of June, 2017.)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Sakura, the Doer.**_

 _The woman stills, grinding her teeth painfully against one another._

 _They were all watching her battle. Everyone was staring at her over-flowing, bloody nostrils, and the bruises that littered her skin. They saw the tears that streamed down her face and the hesitation in her movements. They thought she was weak._

 _Sakura was not weak._

 _For so long, the kunoichi had followed behind Sasuke and Naruto like a puppy dog, yipping at their scuffles and crying when things didn't turn out as they should. The moment Jugo exposed her back would be a moment he would regret, for many decades to come._

 _If Sasuke was going to watch idly, he was going to watch her back._

 _With a burst of boldness and determination, the 20-year-old shinobi pulled the ripped sweater over her head and exposed her bare skin to the sun. The sudden hotness of the smoldering day pelted her back harshly as warmth rose to her peach-colored flesh. Her eyes snap open, and the diamond on her forehead throbs with its wanted release._

 _Her fingertips dance over the lavender mark, suppressing it's force._

 _She was thinking of embarrassment at this time. She did not feel exposed or timid or anything else but resolution, because there was an enemy before her that needed to be taken down. There was no room for prudence. Sakura had a battle to win, and nothing as petty as modesty would hold her back._

 _Refusing to juke from another hit, Sakura Haruno turns just in time to capture the obscenely morphed appendage that used to be Jugo's hand. Her glowing arm wraps around it, freeing her other hand just long enough to dig short nails into the armor of his throat._

 _Sakura aims for complete mutilation, by separating skin from bone._

 _Rearing back, she hits so hard that the trees and the earth shake in response. Purple liquid seeps from his wound and covers her skin, searing the tissue of her stomach. She hits so hard that she's unable to stop her wrath, even as the monster falls to the floor and she pins him below her._

 _"I am not weak!" she tells him between blows. "I will not bow down! I will not fail!"_

 _There are people behind her—people there to help pry her off the surrendering man under her hips. His body cannot possibly hold up against such trauma. The diamond of Jugo's skin chips in thickening fragments._

 _"Stop," Naruto says while he glows a brilliant orange. His arms engulf her shoulders and Sakura is pulled away, kicking and screaming._

 _It was one of those days where the sun disappeared behind clouds, only to tease the village with a nice shadow. It was one of those days where people would walk leisurely. It was one of those days where everything was perfect for everyone else._

 _Today, it was one of the days where Sakura couldn't take it anymore._

 _"I can heal a hundred people at a time! I can summon slugs and axes and move mountains with a single punch!" The woman yells so loudly that her throat might give in._

 _"I know you can," Naruto tries to explain. He is not sure how to console her, or how to make things better. He'd always thought strong people like her couldn't ever possibly break down._

 _The extent of her thrashes, even in Kyuubi Mode, is enough to strain the Jinchuuriki. While Suigetsu and Karin rush to Jugo's side, Sasuke approaches with no protection other than his brutal indignation._

 _"Let me go! Let me—"_

 _" **Stop,** "_

 _The warmth of Naruto's encompassing hands washes away under the pressure of Sasuke's grip. Both of his eyes glow threateningly as he pulls Sakura to her feet and growls out his question. "What are you trying to do? What are you trying to prove?"_

 _"Myself," the kunoichi screams out heartbreakingly._

* * *

A mirror is a wondrous object. In it, your likeness is portrayed down to the smallest of details. For someone like Sakura Haruno, details were imperative.

In her reflection, a young woman sits. Her pale face shows no wrinkle or blemish. Her waist, tapered and dainty, is only an accessory for long, lean legs that hide most of the muscle they surround. The oversized sweatshirt that falls from her humble chest like a curtain hides the boyishness of her figure. In the darkness of her bedroom, Sakura sighs.

Her mind was at the meeting she'd had with her fellow shinobi the day before. All of Rookie 9 had been called to the Rokudaime's office for an important announcement. It had been a few months since she'd seen most of her comrades—the hospital she ran was overflowing with patients, and Sakura rarely had time to mingle with old classmates.

The amount of power that had been gathered into a single room was astounding.

Kakashi Hatake addressed his audience with a lazy, colorless voice. He was, after all, a lazy, colorless man. "We are introducing a new examination this year for all Chunin who hope to move up in rank. There are far too many applicants to pass on simple recommendation."

Naruto huffed out a groan of annoyance. "Well, what's that supposed to mean?"

After the War, many aiding ninja were endorsed for their bravery and competence. Men and women fought alongside brethren, watched their teammates die, and pushed through difficult terrain just to come out of everything alive. Many Genin and Chunin, whether they were lucky or truly gifted, thought they deserved a promotion. Many parents and teachers thought the same thing as well.

"We're going to hold a Jōnin Exam. There are over one-thousand applications."

Kakashi let his words teeter in the air, watching as the cogs of their brains worked overdrive. It wasn't hard to comprehend his words—it was what his words entailed. A Jōnin Exam would be comprised of fresh-faced, just-off-the-battlefield, cocky subordinates. There was no way to tell the strong from the weak, or the deserving from the undeserving when the numbers ran so high.

"There's no way we could allow so many shinobi to join Jōnin status. That's unheard of." Sakura had blurted out.

The Hokage looked at her in a way that had reminded her of her past—when he had noticed her strengths and weaknesses and had acknowledged her intellect. It made her feel like a Genin all over again—the good days—before she considered herself a hindrance.

Kakashi's eyes were kind. "That is precisely why we're holding an Exam. So many shinobi contributed greatly to the war effort, but as everyone in this room knows, there is more to the life of a ninja than killing to save your own skin. We have to decide who deserves this furtherance, and who isn't yet prepared."

Back in the stillness of her bedroom, Sakura gazed at the scroll that she'd spread across her forearms. Contained within its yellow pages, the details of the Exam were jotted down formally. Sakura had already read the important parts—everything was to be separated into three sections, with a team of three for the first round, a two-man-squad for the second, and a one-on-one battle for the grand finale.

Looking into her reflection, Sakura shares a brilliant smile—she is ready and she is fierce.

* * *

Her hitai-ate sits proudly around her scalp. It's the perfect crown for a warrior queen. Soft, pink hair bounces gently along her shoulders as she makes her way to the training grounds, where Team 7 had agreed to meet.

If she were to be honest, Sakura would say that the reunion between herself and Sasuke had been completely underwhelming. She hadn't had a chance to say anything to him during the meeting, as he stood nearby the Hokage and didn't even bother looking at anyone.

Her cheeks slowly start to glow from the memory of their last interaction. Some nights, if she falls into a loose sleep, she can still feel the brush of his fingertips against her forehead. It is not nighttime, though, and she wasn't the same girl Sasuke had become accustomed to in their youth. Sakura is no longer bedroom eyes and bashful giggles. She is no longer Sakura, the daydreamer.

To her surprise, she is the last that shows up to Training Ground 3.

For such formidable ninja, neither Naruto nor Sasuke seem to notice her presence. They exchange blow after blow, pushing their bodies to limits beyond that of an average civilian. With the sound of their grunts and heaves looping around the field, Sakura finds content in her observations.

A long time ago, when they were all just children, Naruto would have never showed up to practice on time. Sakura would have been the earliest, just so she could have spent a few extra, silent minutes with the boy of her dreams, and Sasuke would have been neither late nor early, because he arrives precisely when he means to.

Without meaning to, a feminine giggle escapes her lips. She cannot help it, she's just so incredibly happy to see that, though things aren't exactly the same, things aren't bad either.

Naruto jerks his head towards the sound and greets his friend with an obnoxious, but amicable wave. He had the kind of personality that made even the most deviant of persons feel warm and invited. There was no one as cheerful, strong willed, or simpleminded.

"You finally made it! I've been here for hours. You're gonna have to buy me lunch, ya'know!"

Sakura makes her way to the two slowly, keeping her eyes low. Each step sent a bout of apprehension to flood through her gut. She can feel the clamminess of her palms, the dryness of her throat, and the pin-prickling nervousness that causes a chill to rake through her body.

"Are ya cold? It's only April."

The girl runs her hands along her bare arms, flattening the blonde hairs that grace the surface of her skin. "No, I'm sorry. It was just a jitter."

Naruto doesn't seem to need any more of an explanation. Instead, he slaps his hand on Sakura's shoulders and forces her chin up to look him in the face, so she can see every inch of his white, white teeth. "Sasuke got his arm back, can you believe it? Now I don't even have to hold back!"

As if Sakura needed proof, Naruto takes it upon himself to pull up the sleeve of Sasuke's left arm.

Sakura, by nature, is a healer. Her first instinct is to inspect and examine. The wrappings that twirl around his new appendage look askew, as if they'd been tampered with. There are angry, inflamed staples peeking from the top of the dressing, tugging on the recently attached skin. Letting her inquisitiveness get the better of her, Sakura gathers Sasuke's limb into her hands. "Did you re-wrap this? It doesn't look comfortable."

Sasuke is not gentle when he removes his new arm from her grasp. In fact, he is downright aggressive.

This doesn't offend Sakura. If anything, it makes her feel regret her boldness. She'd let her analytical side morph into something more meddlesome, and if anyone knew better than to touch someone without permission, it would be Sakura Haruno.

The girl clears her throat, trying to make light of the situation. "How does it feel?"

To her surprise, the man answers, albeit curtly. "Odd."

"May I ask you what you mean by that?" She cannot help it. Her nursing instincts are simply a part of her now. They bloom forth, imposing on his right to privacy. "Does it hurt? Is there any numbness?"

She was sure she sounded strange to him. Sasuke had been gone for a very long time. He had only seen bits and pieces of her medical-jutsu, and probably had no idea just how seasoned she was in her practice; Sasuke had more important things to worry about, after all.

With a low, belly laugh, Naruto pulls his own arm out for view. The perfectly spiraled wrappings are coiled in on themselves perfectly—it's proof that he allows his wife to doctor him, after all. "I guess "odd" is a good way to describe it. It really doesn't feel normal, huh?"

This intrigues Sakura. She had never heard any complaint from him whatsoever! "Yours feels different, too?" She asks. She finds herself drawn to his side. He makes her prying personality feel welcomed.

"Uh-huh. It kinda feels like..." The man trails off, trying to think of a good analogy. After a few more seconds of silence, a lightbulb turns on in his head. "It kind of feels like wearing a condom too tightly, ya know? It feels nice but it doesn't feel right."

A gust of wind sends a whistle through the air, echoing his words around the field. Sakura cannot help herself. Her forehead grows red with anger, and she curls her fingers into a fist so she can knock the absolute daylights out of her friend.

"OF ALL OF THE THINGS TO COMPARE IT TO, YOU BIG FREAKING PERVERT!"

It's true that things aren't exactly how they used to be anymore. But, that didn't mean everything had changed.

* * *

Before long, both Naruto and Sasuke are back to their original spar. Sakura finds that her eyes are drawn to Sasuke as he shakes the stiffness from his body, cracking his neck jerkily with his own hands.

Long ago, when had just entered puberty, she would have opted to peek at him from under her pale pink eyelashes. She was not ashamed to watch him anymore. Though, Sakura had to admit, she's not watching him only for his looks these days, no matter how handsome he may be.

Her mind drifts to his appearance. His thick, black hair was tied messily with a large horizontal binding that kept long tendrils from flying into his vision. Three silver chains dangled down the front of his shirt, reaching just past his navel. She watches as they catch the light from the sun, glimmering with each taijutsu movement.

Sasuke had grown even more masculine in the years he'd been away. It feels silly now, but Sakura remembers being incredibly attracted to the slender, toned body of his twelve-year-old self. So much had changed. Sasuke Uchiha was no longer an overconfident, boy. He probably wouldn't blush in an awkward situation, or lower his standards for ego-driven, alfa-male nonsense alongside Naruto.

No, Sasuke is a man now, with bone-crushing kicks and tight, well-defined muscles. Awkward situations now lead to lustful rendezvous. Ego-driven, alfa-male nonsense can be settled with hand-to-hand combat.

Neither Naruto, nor Sasuke seem to cling to the words of their past. Naruto was no longer an annoying prankster. He had become a gutsy, courageous ninja. Sasuke was no longer a cursed, callous avenger. He had rose from the ashes of his clan and completed every goal he'd set out for himself.

And Sakura, she…

She sighs, forcing her irises away from Sasuke so she can watch the spar as a whole. She follows every move and block, memorizing the natural flow of the battle. A lot could be learned by watching these two. There was no time for immodest ogling.

In that moment, Sakura decides she will no longer be a nuisance. She is determined to be a doer. She won't ask for promises that are hard to fulfill, nor will she rely on the strength of others.

Crossing her legs, the girl relaxes her hands by her side and falls into a state of meditation and chant, repeating her new mantra: "Sakura, the doer."


	2. Chapter 2: To her, he was the moon

_**Chapter 2: To her, He was the moon.**_

Sakura walks her sure, steady steps. The village starts to fade into the background with each bound, until eventually, greenery and dirt become more abundant. In a few more minutes, she'll be back at Training Ground 3.

There is an extra pep in her movements—a newfound vigor flows like a current through the veins of thin, agile body. It feels as though _nothing_ can bring her down from this high. Sakura wants nothing more than to release this pent-up energy, but her heart falls into her gut as she nears the meeting spot.

There, by the edge of the field, a gloomy Naruto sat. He was rarely so dreary these days—newlyweds tended to walk on the brighter side of life. Still, no matter which way Sakura looked at him, a sour attitude poured from his body like an overflowing volcano. He had always been the type to wear his heart on his sleeve.

To her surprise, it's rather easy to sneak up on him. The pink-haired girl blocks the sun from his face for a full three seconds before the elite ninja even notices her company. Though Naruto doesn't appreciate it, Sakura smiles anyways.

"Are you alright?"

In some ways, Naruto reminds Sakura of an over-fed bulldog, more than a sly fox. The man groans and rolls over on his side, hiding her cheerfulness from his view.

Trying again, Sakura speaks. "Really, Naruto, what's wrong?"

"Am I that obvious?" he mumbles into the sleeve of his dingy, orange jacket.

Three birds crow in the distance, flying far away from the freshly risen sun. One of their feathers—a dark, blue-hued thing—drifts to the ground and lands just beside Naruto's sandal. When Sakura bends to pick it up, he finally shows his face.

"Sasuke joined Team Taka."

Sakura, really, truly wishes things like this would surprise her more. If she were being honest with herself, she'd have to admit that nothing was ever easy with Sasuke Uchiha. He had a gypsy soul, and never seemed to stay in one place very long.

It must be very hard on his lovers.

The kunoichi didn't know too much about Sasuke's former teammates. She'd met each briefly after the war, but most of her knowledge was hearsay gossip spread through whatever information Ino could uncover. The only one she knew on a first-name-basis was Karin, and their first impressions of one another was severely lacking.

She had, after all, just been stabbed my Sasuke.

Picking up the fallen feather, Sakura tucks the thing into the elastic of her shuriken pouch and speaks aloud. "Can they even join the Jōnin Exams if they aren't ninja of Konoha?"

"No. They're not supposed to. I think this is some sort of citizenship challenge for them or something. Like, if they pass, they can belong to the Leaf."

Naruto's anger was almost palpable, and that frustrated Sakura.

If anyone deserved happiness, it would be Naruto, especially if Sasuke could give it to him.

Sakura thinks of all of the turmoil their other teammate had put them through. They had accepted every harsh word, every deathly blow—they had even defended him when he went on his journey of redemption!

Inhaling a deep, refreshing breath of air, Sakura brushes her fingertips against Naruto's short, spikey locks. If he wanted Sasuke to be on their team, she would try her best to make that possible.

"Let's go get him.

* * *

 ** _Team Taka_**

"Sasuke, there are two ninja approaching fast."

Sasuke pauses, breathing deeply. The cold morning air stings his lungs and makes his throat scratch. He wipes his mouth, glimpsing at Karin as she looks beyond the training grounds of The Forest of Death. There's no need to ask who is coming. He felt Naruto's immense chakra from beyond the gait, and the intensity of it only grows stronger as he draws ever near.

"Aren't they your old teammates—Naruto and that medical ninja?"

A body drops down beside Sasuke. Suigetsu sneers, running his long tongue across needle-tipped teeth. "What are they doing here? Can we kill them?"

"Of course you can't, you dumbass!" Karin shrieks as her pale hand smashes into Suigetsu's face. In an instant, liquid slushes to the forest floor, dampening the dirt beneath them. "Stop trying to kill everyone."

"You're one to talk!"

Jugo, curious of the commotion, meanders towards the group with a flock of dark-blue birds dancing on his arm. His quiet demeanor was peaceful on most occasions, but now it only seemed to taunt Sasuke. He admits to himself that the team he'd accumulated was rather diverse, and each was equally as erratic as he had been in their own delusional ways.

Perhaps, in some way, that's why he was still drawn to them. We all search for people whose demons play well with our own.

"Hide, and attack them." Sasuke barks to the trio, looking over each one with superiority.

Leadership was simply a part of his nature. Dominance had been passed down from each generation of Uchiha, flowing through every drop of their heated blood. He is no fool to this power. Sasuke understands that their submission is not a right, but a _gift_ bestowed upon someone who respects their trust and dedication.

The balance between all of this is delicate.

Abiding his command, each member takes their place amongst the trees. Karin follows closely beside Sasuke, covering up any trace of her chakra as she waits patiently for Naruto and Sakura's arrival. She curls her body around his freshly formed appendage, adjusting her glasses just as her blond cousin hits the ground with a powerful thump.

Like a child, the man waves his hands above his head, shouting towards the treetops. "It's just us, Sasuke!"

Unlike Karin, who can _see_ a person's life-force, Naruto can _feel_ the emotion and intentions hidden within it. His body hums from the presence of chakra, thick and omnipotent, looming just above his head. It causes the back of his neck to tingle—the bloodlust is profound.

When Sakura lands next to him, she notices Team Taka's footprints immediately. The damp soil of the forest took perfect molds of the boot, heel, and double-sandaled combination of Sasuke's comrades. She is not blessed with Naruto or Karin's chakra abilities, but she is blessed with observational insight.

The rose-haired girl is the first to react, pivoting to the left of Jugo's brutal lariat. To an outsider, the attack might have seemed like a piss-poor attempt to maim someone. Sasuke saw the cunningness in the advancement, smirking has the man successfully separated Sakura from Naruto. Like a wolf hunting for pray, he singles out the smallest and weakest of the group.

Smart.

Naruto puts both hands up in surrender. He has no intention on fighting anyone—not seriously, at least. "Hey, big guy, we're not enemies!"

It had been a very long time since Sasuke had seen his teammates work contemporaneously. During the War, most of the battle was dictated to himself and Naruto, obviously. The truth was that Sasuke had no idea what kind of battle style Sakura had besides her massive hits, or if Naruto still fell for the same idiotic traps of his youth.

Jugo's move was a necessary one—he understood that Naruto would protect Sakura at all costs. This meant a simple "surrender" would not do. As Jugo bounds his way towards Naruto, Suigetsu makes his own appearance.

Breathing hot air into Sakura's ear, he shoves his foot into the soft spot behind her knee. The roughness surprises her, but it does not thwart her. She had grown much more perceptive in the years that have passed. Swiveling expertly from her downed position, the girl plants both palms into the ground and throws both feet wildly into Suigetsu's chest, hitting him with the force of twenty bucking broncos. A shower of water flies to the ground, wetting the earth beautifully. When his body finally forms back together, Sakura is already powering up her left fist.

"Woah, there," he says as she plunges deep into the cavity his chest. His liquefied form curls away from her forearm. "Punches don't do much damage to me, kid."

She jerks her arm from his body, reacting immediately to her new information. Sasuke watches curiously as her abundant green chakra narrows into a small, scalpel-like blade. With no hesitation, she severs a large pathway of chakra at his shoulder.

Jumping away from the fuming, cursing fish-man, Sakura steps backwards towards the sound of Jugo's pursuits and backflips just in time to avoid one of his almighty hits. As soon as she touches ground again, the girl lunges forwards and tugs Naruto behind her body, as if she were shielding him. "That's enough! We aren't here to fight you."

These men are loyal to few, and listen to even fewer. Both Jugo and Suigetsu run towards her, ignoring her warning, with heavy gallops. One draws his sword and the other mutates his appendages, ready to bring step up their wrath.

To Sasuke's surprise, it's not Naruto that impedes them.

With his Sharingan, the man watches an incredible overflow of energy build up around Sakura's dainty, small hand. She pounds her fist into the earth, splitting mile-long fissures into its surface. Debris rains down from the sky in a spray of rock and clay, uprooting the tree both he and Karin surveyed from.

The godlike voltage that erupted from Sakura's hit was spellbinding. If she came in contact with a human body, bones would turn to gelatin and organs would rupture into vapor. There was no denying her fortitude.

Sasuke did not see perfection in anyone, however. He notices that her speed is lacking even _with_ her (comparatively) long legs. Such short stature meant each stride only matched half of a normal shinobi's, and that was a huge disadvantage.

If, in the event of catastrophe, neither he nor Naruto can reach her, she _does_ have incredible healing prowess. As far as he knows, she has no genjutsu or ninjutsu abilities beyond that of medical jutsu. There's much more to be learned about this new and improved Sakura, but at least being a team with her won't be a complete hindrance.

He pulls his new limb from Karin and uses his _Shunshin no Jutsu_ to appear by Naruto in a flash. Raising his bandaged arm, the man calls off both Suigetsu and Jugo, giving the Jinchuuriki just enough time to yank at the high-collar of Sasuke's cotton tee.

"Sasuke, are you an idiot?"

Suigetsu, Jugo and Karin look on with a strange curiosity. Sasuke had, after all, turned murderous for far less. Naruto was not an enemy. He was an equal in every right, and perhaps the only person alive that could truly kill Sasuke if he needed to. Instead of matching his friends' anger, Sasuke simply shrugs off Naruto's grip. This doesn't faze the man in the least.

"What the hell were you thinking? You knew damn well it was Sakura and me coming up. You did that on purpose!"

If there was anything righteous to be said about Sasuke Uchiha, it would be that he was truthful. Not one to play dumb, or act innocent, the man cops up to his intentions. "I wanted to test you."

Naruto isn't dumb, either. Sasuke was a difficult person to understand, but not an _impossible_ person to understand. "I know you did. That doesn't make it okay."

Sakura comes between the two, like she used to. She had always been the mediator, the defender, the meddlesome little girl who stuck her nose where it didn't belong and who always got hurt because of it. Planting firm palms on either man's chests, she speaks with authority. "Naruto, Sasuke, please calm down."

Addressing the blue-eyed Naruto, Sakura lowers her tone daintily. "We can't blame him. He hasn't been around us in a very long time. I'm sure he wanted to see how well we worked together, but…"

This time, she turns her too-bright, green eyes to him.

There was something about her penetrating gaze that always left him motionless. It was rare for a woman to pierce someone so fully, and even rarer for a woman to do that to _him._ Attraction was portrayed through bedroom eyes and downcast blushes. Everything with Sakura was different, and Sasuke had to admit that he _hated_ this about her.

Her emerald irises bore into his like the tines of a pitchfork. She was not searching for obvious signs of information—Sakura already knew that Sasuke hid his emotions well. The woman probes, delving into his soul, searching for the same thing she'd always searched for.

Sasuke can handle unwanted touches and advances. He can shrug off an arm, deny a dinner date, and turn away from gifts and proposals. Sasuke cannot, however, physically back down from her stare. That showed weakness, and he was _not_ weak.

After a few seconds, pink-eyelashes flutter closed. "Sasuke, you don't have to attack us to judge our battle style. We're more than happy to spar, and…if you'd ask me, I'd tell you everything."

She didn't berate him by normal standards, but she _did_ question his logic, and that is something she's never done before. Long ago, as a Genin, Sakura would have defended his reasoning to the grave. Perhaps, as an adult, Sakura pays no more mind to the sway of her heart. Perhaps, as an adult, Sakura comprehends that perfection is seldom attainable and for Sasuke, impossible.

Perhaps, as an adult, she sees Sasuke for who he truly is.

Karin is bewildered by this girl's audacity. She puffs out her chest and screams into the air. "Who are you to tell Sasuke what to do?"

Let a wet towel, the redhead wraps herself around Sasuke's arm. Her messy hair tickles his bare upper arm uncomfortably, as if it's made of straw. As much as Sasuke hated physical contact, he was trained on his mother's etiquette. Jerking away from this cumbersome, clingy kunoichi would certainly cause Mikoto to keel over. Like a snake, he slithers from her grasp and takes a step back.

Sakura seems completely flustered by the comment. She shakes her head, blinking her eyes rapidly. "Oh, I…I didn't mean to come off that way. Really,"

But she has no time to defend herself. If Sasuke's slithers were compared to snakes, Suigetsu's would belong to that of an eel. In one quick moment, the man winds around his bickering teammate and imposes himself upon Sakura. Leaving no room for movement, he captures the hand that she used to shatter foliage only moments ago, and presses dry, fish-like lips to its surface.

"It's nice to finally meet you."

Sakura was pretty, but in an adolescent sense. Naruto had always been amazed by her youthfulness, and her inability to look her actual age. Anytime someone tried to hit on her, or flirt in any way, Naruto completely denied it. Only perverts would be attracted to someone who looked as young as she did! Karate chopping Suigetsu's wrist, Naruto gathers the bumbling Sakura into his chest.

"Back off!"

As far as Sasuke knew, Naruto was married. It had happened sometime after the…moon incident that threatened all of humanity. He'd betrothed himself to Hinata Hyuuga of the Hyuuga clan. From Sasuke's limited memory of her, he knew that she was quiet, polite, and dainty—the complete opposite of the buffoon she'd wed.

Regardless of this, Naruto wasn't the type to marry for any reason other than love. The last time Sasuke heart, he was in love with Sakura. His jealous antics only seem to back up that reasoning.

Sakura slaps her hand across the back of Naruto's head painfully, spooking birds from their perches. "You need to stop being rude!"

" _I'm_ the rude one?" He asks incredulously. "That guy was attacking you a minute ago and _I'm_ the rude one?"

Ignoring him completely, Sakura turns on her heel and regards Sasuke. "Naruto says you ditched us and joined Team Taka. Did you?"

"Only thee-man-squads are allowed." Sasuke replied. "Jugo, Suigetsu and Karin make up their own team."

Suigetsu interjects, draping his arm roughly around Sakura's slender shoulders. "Yeah, he was just teaching us a few rules."

"Like no eye-gouging," Jugo chimes in.

"Yeah, yeah, like no eye-gouging."

* * *

The forest wasn't quite as lively as it had been during the Chunin Exams. Sakura vaguely remembers the warnings their proctor had uttered—something along the lines of, "We haven't fed the animals, so be careful!" Perhaps now they were all fed and docile, making it easier for the sextet to train amongst one another.

Naruto had teamed up with Karin, who was trying to help him with his chakra sensing. The woman was obviously not too happy with her partner, but continued explaining the different feelings she got from various chakra signatures around her. Her red, ruby lipstick seemed to glow in the daylight as she spoke.

"Your normal chakra reminds me of spearmint. Kurama's chakra is warm and orange, like the sun, but the first time I felt it, it was more like a chili pepper. He's not so fiery and mean anymore."

"That's so amazing! I can't believe you can see all of that. For me, your chakra feels… lonely. Are you lonely, Karin? Maybe it's more like you're lost. Uh, what's the word—unrequited? That's probably because of Sasuke, huh."

The paleness of her face switches to beet-red in under a second. Flailing her arms around her like a madwoman, Karin screams loud enough for everyone to hear. "I-I DON'T LOVE SASUKE OR ANYTHING! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? GET REAL, KID! HA-HA! HA-HA-HA!"

Sakura rolls her eyes and heels the palm of her hand to her chin, propping it up in the process. For only a moment the girl rests her eyes, listening to the two Uzumaki's bicker.

On the other side of the field, Sasuke watches Jugo and Suigetsu exchange blows. Jugo is struggling, trying to catch his breath after more unsuccessful hits lead to nowhere. When he falls to the ground for the third time that evening, Sasuke finally points his arm to the edge of the grass, telling Jugo to sit.

Suigetsu catches Sakura's eye. He pants, takes a long sip of his water bottle, and finally winks at the girl. "I can spar with you later, if that's what you want. We can go someplace private."

Watching his eyebrows wiggle suggestively, Sakura fights the chill that waved from her spine and stood from her seated position. "No, thank you. I can battle with Jugo—right? Is that okay?"

It takes Sasuke all of two minutes to realize the question was directed to him. Jugo was unstable, though medication had calmed a lot of his murderous rage. One painful hit from Sakura could send him on a killing spree, and a lot of lives would be endangered if Sasuke could tame the beast. Shaking his head, Sasuke denies her request.

To be honest, Sasuke isn't sure why she wants to spar in the first place. She was a medic—a last-resort fighter. Being on a team with himself and Naruto meant that, if either were downed, the world would most likely end and Sakura wouldn't be able to do anything, anyways.

For now, she can mend any broken bones that result from everyone's training. That would suite everyone the best.

Sakura does not stamp her feet. She does not groan, pout her lip, or yank her hair. Instead, she waits patiently and observes the battles around her. After a few hours, when the day was drawing to an end, they all called it quits and found a small waterfall that peeked from beyond the edge of the woods.

It smelled of earth and dew. The sound of water crashing against itself echoed softly around the clearing, creating a lullaby fit for woodland creatures. A deer and two hares scurried away from their post, abandoning their thirst skittishly as the hexad approached.

"Man, I'm exhausted!" The redheaded kunoichi exclaimed.

Sakura and Karin were the first to take off their shoes and baptize their feet. Karin had kicked off her boots haphazardly and unbuttoned her top, showing skin plagued with bite marks. She had been sticky and sweaty all day, cursing the mugginess of this damned forest.

A sigh escapes her lips, husky and feminine, and she peeks beyond her red fringe to see if Sasuke had been alerted to the noise. When no one seems to be paying any attention to her dip, the woman sweeps out a long wave of water with her hand, letting it splash and turn to glitter against the sunlight.

Sakura is not so flamboyant. The Tea Rose had simply walked up to her ankles, keeping her qipao top and ninja skirt at a respectable length. It was a hot day by April's standards, and even Sasuke had found it hard to breathe through the humidity. Although a nice soak sounded refreshing, the girl opted to simply soak her feet, teasing her skin with coolness. She was reserved, demure, and modest. Karin's opposite in every sense of the word.

If Sasuke were to pay attention to anyone, it would be her.

Suigetsu had already merged with the spring; only his face showed a slight form of human characteristic. Naruto stripped down to his boxers, wild and young and carefree—something Sasuke could never mirror, even before his family had been slaughtered. He was raised to be collected and composed at all times. Naruto wasn't raised to be anything; he was simply an unbroken fox that wasn't fully tamed.

Before Naruto could make it to the water, Sakura yanks him by the arm and pulls him towards her. Her voice was shaking as she pressed her body to his, in a way that might be inappropriate had it been anyone else. Sasuke reads her pale lips as she whispers into the shell of the idiot's ear. "What the hell happened to your back?"

Sasuke hadn't noticed before, but long welts bubbled across his tawny skin, red and swollen, stretching over his shoulder blades and ending at the dip of his back. Naruto tries his best to turn around, but ends up spinning in circles, unable to see what everyone else saw.

"What's wrong with it?" The blonde replied.

Karin peeked around to look, and Suigetsu was already poking the scratches. Both were equally intrusive. "Damn, kid, you've got some woman at home don't ya?"

Naruto's face flushed. "Well, I mean…I guess…"

"Naruto," Sakura seethed, hissing between her teeth. "That looks awful! Hinata knows how to heal you, how can she let you walk around with those marks? Doesn't that hurt?"

Sakura was obviously referring to the sunlight that baked across his flesh. The heat would only cause more damage to the tender, inflamed marks. Naruto isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, however.

"Not when I'm doing it, no. I don't really notice! I'm kinda too busy—"

Sakura, in an embarrassed panic, slaps her hand on his back hard, letting her green chakra slowly seep out from her skin. "I don't need to know the details, idiot!"

Suigetsu watches as the skin loses that pink, bright tone. "You're good at that. All Karin does is moan and then pass out when she heals people."

Karin wades towards him, but he's already gone. "Fight me, you moron! Get over her and fight me!"

This nonsense is all too much for Sasuke. He beckons Jugo towards him, planning to leave the four behind as soundlessly as possible, but Sakura always notices his departures. It was a simple part of their history together.

"Hey, Sasuke,"

For a reason unbeknownst to him, Sasuke stops. Just like when he left the village all those years ago, Sasuke stops and waits for what she has to say. They seem to have become the center of attention, as all eyes dart back and forth between the two.

Suddenly, Sakura cannot seem to find her voice. The words that wouldn't come out seem needy, worthless. Sakura doesn't want to sound needy. Sakura doesn't want to be worthless. "Can I—can we train together again tomorrow?"

But Sasuke is not Naruto, and he is not his old self. He will not say things to make her feel better, just for the sake of easing her heart. "I didn't see you training today."

Though his words may hurt, they are not meant to be insulting. Sasuke dealt in truths.

Her distraught gaze looked towards the setting sun as she watched him walk away. Team 7 had always reminded her of sundown. Pinks and oranges and blues, blending together seamlessly created the perfect backdrop for nightfall.

And at night, when the stars come out and the moon reaches its peak, Sakura reaches out and tries to grasp it. Sasuke was much like that wondrous, lonely white ball. To her, he was abandoned. To her, he was lonely.

To her, he was the moon.


	3. Chapter 3: She wouldn't stop screaming

_**Chapter 3: She wouldn't stop screaming...**_

All of the breath within Karin's lungs escaped in a harsh, dizzying rush. It was like being trapped under water, except she was drowning under the weight of Sasuke's female teammate. The stinging in her lungs persisted as Sakura kept firm on her hold. She pinned Karin to the ground with her boney kneecaps after a successful, powerful leg sweep that sent her opponent crashing to the ground.

Slowly, Sakura twirled her kunai around each finger, as if she were trying to extract information. When the blade landed right side up, Sakura pressed its sharpened edge to Karin's slender neck, drawing the first blood.

"I win this round."

The redhead was known for her temper, regardless of how cliché it sounded. Her fighting style was almost nonexistent—Sakura had heard someone describe her as a "non-combatant"—though research seems to suggest she has access to the unusual "Adamantine Sealing Chains" fuinjutsu. From this, Sakura deduced that short-ranged attacks and taijutsu would be her downfall, and as the woman seethes beneath her, Sakura's own heart jumps with short-lived cheer.

"Get off of me!" Karin screams out. She flails her arms about her, kicking and screaming like a child having a tantrum. When her long, manicured nails dig into the flesh of Sakura's hip, the rose-petal kunoichi finally releases her hold and rolls away from Karin's hissy fit.

The normally straight, soft side of her hair now matched the other, spiking out in random directions from her scalp. Karin struggled to catch her breath, sucking in humid air as she filled her lungs. Her whole body is numb and achy from each painful position Sakura had twisted her in. That girl was powerful, deadly, and gave no handicap—Karin despised the Tough picking on the Fragile.

Sakura was probably the top of her class, right along Sasuke. She was lucky to have been born strong, never having to struggle, always getting things handed to her because of her pretty face and unblemished skin. She had no idea what it was like to _struggle_. She had no idea what it was like to be the underdog!

Yeah, Karin _despised_ people like that.

"You are such a bitch!" she yells out, pointing her finger towards her rival. "You're a conceited, snotty, spoiled little bitch and I hate you!"

The abruptness of her belittlements causes the thin, arched eyebrows on Sakura's face to rise in surprise. Sakura was not a bitch of any sort. Sakura was a _kunoichi_. This was a life of blood, sweat and tears. The Jōnin Exams would not be a slice of cake! If Karin wanted to gain Konoha citizenship, she'd have to win it honestly—just like Sakura had.

With a calm, collected voice, the pink-haired woman defends herself. "Don't call me names just because I beat you. You need to work on your taijutsu skills. Even child could have taken you down."

Karin sneers, crossing her arms over her chest. "You _are_ a child, aren't you? I mean, hell, you're built like one!"

Ridicule is not something Sakura is immune to. In fact, ridicule is one of her most powerful driving forces. As a little girl, she was often made fun of for her abnormally wide forehead. In prepubescence, her flat chest was mocked, as well as her intelligence and attitude. These are things that chink her armor, that show her humanity.

Sakura opens her mouth to retort, but Suigetsu steps between them.

Watching a good, well-balanced spar was usually an excellent time-waster. Suigetsu enjoyed the way Naruto battled—how he saw openings that weren't there, how he managed to dodge the most impossible of attacks, how he could pop right back up after an incredibly vicious hit. There was nothing quite like the prowess of a Sannin, and both Sasuke and Naruto took their roles very seriously.

Still, he was just a man after all, and men like him are _rather weak_ when it comes to bickering females. He'd been expecting a catfight for hours now—Karin had been a mopey, angry, _grouchy_ panther all morning. If Suigetsu were truthful, he'd say that he'd been expecting catfight.

And, if Suigetsu were truthful, he'd say that he _wanted_ one.

Suigetsu gives Sasuke's teammate an up down—checking out her physical body for all it had to offer. There was nothing special about her, aside from unique hair and wide, childbearing hips. Her cheeks were full and rosy, her lower lip was plump and peach-colored, and the lashes that surrounded her eyes were thick enough to cast shadow. Breasts, flat and unmoving, hid beneath a qipao top that was neither attractive nor unattractive. It was just there…doing its job.

All in all, a 7 out of 10—if he were _judging_. He preferred women who didn't look so delicate—women who showed more skin and had sexual appeal.

Putting his arms up in surrender, the man shoots Sakura a toothy smile that he hopes is disarming. "Let's not fight, ladies."

 _Please, please do._

Karin pops up behind him, shooting Sakura the finger as she yells. "She cut me! She could have slit my throat had you not arrived! It's because you're bitter, isn't it? You want to keep Sasuke all to yourself!"

"I would _not_ have done that!" Sakura retorts frantically. She bites her lip, unsure of what to say. Karin…was Sasuke's teammate. She was vulgar and dramatic, but she is someone that helped Sasuke achieve his goals—no matter how awful they may have been. After staring at the ground for a few seconds, decisiveness flows through her veins. Sakura clenches her fists and tips her head up high, unafraid to admit her feelings.

"I…I won't hurt people who are precious to Sasuke. You're important to him, so you're important to me."

Sakura was not a young girl swayed by jealousy anymore. The last thing she'd ever want was to keep Sasuke all to herself. Sasuke was a man who rarely found conviction in his comrades. All throughout their childhood, he'd been skeptical and aloof, weary of hidden intentions whether they existed or not.

Sakura was _happy_ Sasuke had found people he could trust. "I'm sorry if I went overboard. It was just a spar. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The redhead keeps her place behind Suigetsu, eyeing Sakura not with skepticism, but with disbelief.

During their travels together, Sasuke never spoke of his old teammates. In fact, Sasuke never spoke at all unless necessary. Karin had heard stories, though, from Kabuto who found sadistic joy in the atrocities of Sasuke's adolescence. Stories of Naruto, who was simpleminded, weak, and easily swayed. Stories of Sakura, who was egotistical, appearance obsessed, and incredibly brainy.

Stories of Sasuke, who risked his life _repeatedly_ to save their pathetic, measly souls.

Before Karin can call her out, a painful grunt reverberates around the training field. Naruto drags himself from the crater his body had made and quickly creates a shadow clone, preparing a baseball sized _Rasengan_. Jugo does not match Naruto's speed, but his leaps are impressive, and with a massive jump, the transforming beast reaches his opponent and drives his elbow into his nose.

Sakura's body moves on its own, crossing the field quickly as she tries to make it to her comrade. Blood is flowing out in a thick stream, so she prepares her chakra, ready to heal any injuries that plagued Naruto.

Before she can make it to him, Sasuke intervenes, catching her wrist in a firm grip. "Sasuke—?"

He offers no explanation and instead, directs her back to Karin and Suigetsu with a gentle pull. Barking his order, Sasuke commands Suigetsu to watch Sakura, to which fish-face fervently agrees.

"GOD DAMNIT," Naruto yells out as Jugo swung again, burying his body into the tightly packed earth. His skull knocked roughly with each slam. Black, fuzzy dots peppered into his vision as he fought against the experiments' massive appendage.

Naruto's body tingles with adrenalin. He can feel himself start to crave Kurama's chakra—he needs the immersion, the help.

Just as that familiar red glow starts to engulf his body, Sasuke stops him in his tracks. His broad stance gives off an air of superiority, and when he crosses his arms, it means he's absolute. "Defeat him without relying others and show some independence."

For some reason, this causes a rage to well up inside of Naruto. Pain had always temporarily pissed him off, but this frustration stemmed from something else…as if a tightly drawn thread of anger was being pulled between the two.

Independence was a 'Sasuke' trope. That guy had never needed anyone or anything to make get stronger. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, with whomever he wanted so long as it suited him for the time being.

When Sasuke had left the village on his journey of redemption a half-year ago, their goodbye was terse, but friendly. A lot had happened between them, and time stood still for no man. Naruto fell in love and married; he became a Chunin after months of studying. He became _popular, wanted_ , and most of all, he became someone that the villagers acknowledged.

What was left of Sasuke Uchiha? What was left of the man that had lost everything? He had no family, didn't rely on hardly anyone, and remained just as brooding and withdrawn as he always had been. It seemed as though Sasuke only lived for his revenge.

Once all of his plans had been thwarted or completed, there was nothing left but a shallow, empty hole.

If Sasuke had no goals or ambition, what would he _do_? If Sasuke had such _independence_ , and never relied on anyone, who would protect him? If Sasuke didn't want friends, and was the last of the Uchiha…

What would he live for?

Naruto felt apprehension deep into his gut. It feels like he's facing Gaara all over again, who loves only himself, who lives only for himself, who fights only for himself. He didn't know what was worse—having Sasuke be distant and unreachable when he traveled outside of Konoha, or having Sasuke be distant and unreachable when he was **right in Naruto's grasp**.

In Sasuke's dark, mismatched eyes, he still sees true loneliness. It is the most painful form of suffering there is in this world. And even after Sasuke has demolished all those who made him suffer, those eyes still remain just as cold and passive as ever.

Naruto thinks, " _If I could just knock him back into reality, everything will go back to normal._ " Most of all, he's willing to test that theory.

Naruto shoves Jugo hard, with more force than he'd been using to battle him. There is tenseness in the air now. It crackled around like electricity, warning every one of the storm to come.

"Why do you do this, Sasuke? Why does everything have to be so difficult with you?"

Both men step towards each other with clenched fists and narrowed eyes. Anyone else would take this as their call to leave—a battle between two Sannin was sure to deal a hefty amount of damage. But Sakura, with all of her intelligence and wit, does not back away. Instead, she pushes herself forwards, hurrying between her teammates.

The smile that graces her lips is a practiced one. Sakura should know by now that she can't pull wool over their eyes. _"_ Hey now, there's no need to fight!" Sakura says. "Let's go eat ramen, okay? I'm very hungry. I'll pay for you both!"

Sasuke ignores her completely, stepping to the left of her body. "Why do you have to rely on others to feel strong? Why can't you do something for yourself, for once?"

Naruto growls. Words never worked with Sasuke. They were both just as longwinded and hardheaded as they'd always been.

Suigetsu helps Jugo to his feet as Karin watches Sakura in amazement. She had approached both men with no hesitancy whatsoever, as if she couldn't feel the hostility that rose between them. Not everyone could sense chakra, but human instinct—the itch on the back of your neck, the rise from every hair of your body—should have enough to halt her movements.

Karin saw the physical contact between Naruto's spirit and Sasuke's. Brilliant red clashed against deep, rich purple, swirling together as they silently battled. Between the two, a fuzzy, tense green that belongs to Sakura swirls like incense, perfuming between them as she struggles to ward off the impending fight.

It happens in an instant.

Naruto reaches around Sakura and smashes his bare knuckles over the bridge of Sasuke's nose. Like two rabid wolves, the men start throttling each other. Droplets of blood mist over Sakura's forearms as she tugs relentlessly at clothing, using her massive strength to pry Naruto off, shove Sasuke away, _anything_ to end this absurd scuffle.

Suigetsu's senses, much like Karin's, told him this wasn't just an alpha-male fistfight. He signs a special jutsu and dives towards the pastel-haired Sakura, capturing her within a liquid bubble before she even has a chance to fight him off. The grip she'd had on Naruto's jacket is released.

Though Naruto had landed the first blow, it had given him no advantage. Sasuke is quick to slam his comrade's whiskered face into the earth with a sickening crack, guiding the Jinchuuriki with a fistful of hair. From her container, Sakura thrashes helplessly as Sasuke hammers Naruto's face into the ground. His mouth is cut and split, causing red saliva to pour out with every impact.

Sakura's screams don't bypass the barrier.

Gaining a slight advantage by directing his shoulder into the floor in place of his face, Naruto kicks one of his long legs into the cap of Sasuke's knee. This causes the joint to hyperextend, and in turn throws him backwards a few paces.

Sasuke is quick when it comes to recovering, but not as quick as Naruto. Wrapping steel-like hands around Sasuke's arm, the man flings him as far as he can into the thickness of the forest.

It takes only seconds for Sasuke to shoot a _katon_ right back.

Fire erupts all around them within minutes. Such an intense heat causes the green, healthy pines burst into howling flames. Black smoke billows around, stinging Suigetsu's eyes as if he were dangling only inches away from it. The blaze evaporates his skin—his grip on Sakura becomes looser.

From opposite sides of the battlefield, both men stared down one another. Firestorms roar around them, charring grass and wood in its wake. From her water imprisonment, Sakura hears he sound of chirping birds.

Sasuke summons his _Chidori._

Feeling his body buzz with exhilaration in response to his battle, Naruto takes in a deep breath of the tainted air draws forth a shadow clone that makes quick work of a powerful _Rasengan._ The bright cyan and blues of their jutsu is almost blinding.

The end draws nearer.

As much as Suigetsu would _love_ to stay, and be caught up in the aftermath, he valued his life. His bucket list may be small, but it was _important_. Collecting the Seven Ninja Swords meant more to him than keeping this rambunctious, foolish girl under locks. He's never been known for chivalry, and Suigetsu decides to follow Jugo and Karin's footpaths before it's too late.

When he releases his jutsu, Sakura hits the ground running. The dampness of her clothing seems to dissolve out with the burning, relentless heat from Sasuke's flames. Her eyes sting as she barrels towards her teammates, ignoring the panic that willed her legs to stop moving.

Sakura was so tired of this _fighting._ She wasn't going to nurse their wounds as they looked at her with regret anymore. She'd had enough of this irrelevant competitiveness. This all needed to _stop,_ and Sakura would do anything to end it.

…even if it meant ending _her_.

With a massive jump, Naruto and Sasuke plow straight ahead. Neither men would admit it aloud, but their aim was not to kill. Savagely maiming the other would be enough.

As Sasuke flies towards his brother, _Chidori_ blazing, he sees a flash of red cover his line of sight. It's bright amongst the blue swirls that intermingle between his and Naruto's jutsu, but it's dainty and delicate at the same time.

For a moment, Sasuke doesn't know what it is. He doesn't know what those wispy, pastel-pink strands are doing in his pathway. He doesn't notice the shape of a woman until it's too late—until he's so close that he can hear her scream.

Sakura was still overprotective.

Her shriek was one for the ages. It was the pure embodiment of terror and hysteria, mingled with a high-pitched, feminine reverberation. Wide, glossy viridian iris connected with his own, and through them Sasuke saw something deeper than fear and consternation.

In Sakura's eyes, Sasuke saw resolution. As if she knew that, she'd die by his hand, and accepted the fact wholeheartedly.

Sasuke has never felt anything…more painful.

"Don't hurt him!" She yelled, twisting her form to face Sasuke's electricity. "Stop this already!"

If there was anyone Sasuke would brand with true courage, it was Sakura. He couldn't even blame her pluck on _idiocy_ , because Sakura was one of the most intelligent females he'd ever come across in his twenty years of life. Courage was not the absence of fear, and no one portrayed that better than the Slug Queen herself.

As a girl, she'd protected her comrades from Orochimaru's subordinates with standard weaponry and basic ninja jutsu. She'd faced Gaara of The Sand with nothing more than a kunai. She'd even dared to take Sasuke's life, when evil had corrupted his soul and turned him into the monster he'd never wanted to be. And now, as a woman, she takes on a _Chidori_ and a _Rasengan_ with nothing more than an open posture, a plea, and saltwater tears.

Lucky for her, Sasuke would **_never hurt her in a million years_**.

The man reached deep into his soul, straining to disband his attack. He had only seconds left. Seconds before he plunged through her core and brought her physical heart outside of her body. He the fabric of her top melt and reveal the clean, peach skin of her torso—skin that should never be marred by his touch.

Doing something he'd never done before, Sasuke fought against every chakra pathway within. The channels sizzled into nothingness after intense, mental pressure and with his own eyes, he watched as the lightning from his fist popped out of existence just as hand brushed the smooth exterior of her abdomen.

Sasuke wraps his arms around Sakura's chest, focusing his _Rinnegan_ on the tree she'd uprooted the day before. Like an overflowing pot, each pathway he'd cut off flooded back to life with a mighty roar. The familiar stomach-churning drop of teleportation sent a flicker of static down the length of his spine.

Sakura is sure that she is experiencing _death._

For a moment, both he and Sakura are weightless, caught in a tunnel where nothing but time, space, and their own entities exist. And all too suddenly, they're back in the real world. The couple slams against the tightly packed earth painfully, burrowing deep trenches in their wake.

The first thing Sasuke hears when the ringing in his ears subsides is Sakura. Her brittle cry does not fade, even as her chest fills with choking smell of burning foliage. She is rigid and paralyzed underneath him, still yelling as though her life was still endangered.

Sasuke ignores the stinging of his forearms, where they'd dug into the ground to pillow Sakura's descent. He ignores the nauseous feeling of his trembling chakra paths that sting from the confusion of complete nothingness to full-on power. He doesn't care what happened to Naruto. He doesn't care that his body is cut and bruised.

Sakura's _hurt._

"Just stop!" She yells out. "Don't do it, don't do it, Sasuke don't do this! Don't kill Naruto."

The woman shakes her head back and forth, tangling her hair with the twigs and clay from underneath her. The elastic of her ponytail has snapped, revealing every inch of her cherry-blossom strands.

"I didn't." He replies breathlessly. "I wouldn't."

Nothing seems to get through to her, though. It doesn't matter what he repeats to her, her body still shakes. With a sudden bout of resolve, Sasuke gathers her round face in his hands and runs the rough pads of his thumbs over the thin, wet flesh of her cheeks.

The dusty-rose tresses of Sakura's hair cascaded over his hands and tumbled down her shoulders, tangling in his fingers as he inspected her wellbeing. Her face was soiled with black dirt; her shirt was torn to shreds. Blisters from the burn of Sasuke's electricity branched out in dark patches across her exposed navel and stomach, almost as though an artist had painted a tree along her stomach.

She is catatonic and unresponsive to his touch—a wilted blossom with no understanding of the world around her.

When Sakura opens her mouth, she decides that dying wasn't as painful as she'd thought it would be. She's amazed to find that her childhood fantasies reran with vivid, beautiful detail.

There was Sasuke in all of his glory, hovering above her. The warmth of his body, the rise and fall of his chest pressed against hers, the fan of his scentless breath as it tumbled over her face—it was better than any daydream she'd experienced.

Now, she wasn't so afraid of the afterlife.

The repeated phrase and yell that erupted through her mouth doddered out, and when Sakura gained the oxygen to speak to this incarnate, she sounded broken and small. There are so many things needs to say to this hallucination. So, she does.

"You really killed me this time."

Guilt raked its way through Sasuke's core at the realization of it all. He denies her statement fanatically. "I didn't."

When he came back to Konoha after the War, Sasuke was not foolish enough to think that everyone would accept him with open arms. He had done inexcusable things. He had hurt almost everyone—everyone inside of these walls, all innocent bystanders who knew nothing about his life or tragedies. Those people didn't trust him, they shouldn't.

But Sakura and Naruto did. They were the only steadfast thing in his world of lies and misleading pathways.

Naruto would always be a friend, and Sakura would always love him, whether he wanted or deserved their affections. Sasuke longed for redemption, but his sins only seemed to pile up. How could he ever be forgiven if he kept hurting the ones that were most precious to him?

His hands were too tight on her face now. Ignoring the tugging strings on his regretful heart, Sasuke pulls that broken woman up to his chest and presses his face deep into the tender curve of her creamy neck. He exhaled, breathing the heat of his clan into her body. The protection of his people—his father and mother, his brother and cousins—willed itself through the pores of her skin.

Sakura feels his breath cover her like a blanket, and she has no need to shake anymore.

Naruto is the first to arrive. He practically falls to the ground, letting his hand hover over her shoulders as if she'd break into a million pieces with the slightest touch. "Please tell me she's okay. Please tell me I didn't hurt her."

Karin is there next, already exposing her slender forearm. "If she's injured, get her to bite me, quick!"

But Sasuke knows Sakura doesn't need it. Her physical wounds are nothing compared to the mental devastation she'd just experienced. It's akin to the torture and horror of _Tsukuyomi,_ where your worst nightmares come to life and plague your consciousness. Sakura doesn't have the luxury of being in genjutsu.

"Take her to the hospital."

Naruto doesn't even second-guess him. With Karin's assistance, Sakura is positioned across his back and taken through the streets of Konoha, directly towards the hospital where she spent so much of her time already.

Only when Naruto's orange body runs out of sight does Sasuke finds his solace in the dirt beneath him. Ignoring the curious, worried and amused stares of Team Taka, the man barks out his final order.

"Put out this damn fire."


	4. Chapter 4: Sakura wanted to save him

_**Chapter 4: Sakura wanted to save him.**_

 ** _Team Taka_**

Her ninja shoes had a rock stuck in them. _Fuck_ , it was annoying. A bright red lip danced between top and bottom teeth, gnawing at the tender flesh.

"What in the hell happened back there?" Sure, Karin was weak from healing Sasuke, but that didn't mean her mouth wouldn't work. She snarled.

Suigetsu didn't know what to say to her, or what she wanted to hear. After all, they had seen the same thing.

Naruto and Sasuke were barreling straight for Sakura. That girl was a pillar between two deadly, driving forces. In the time that it took Suigetsu to blink, Naruto exploded through a tree that had appeared from _nowhere,_ and Sasuke was on the other side of the training grounds.

To be brutally honest, Suigetsu was scanning the woodlands for anything that looked vaguely like Sakura Haruno—a severed foot, remnants of clothing, puddles of blood and the like. It was impossible for her to survive such a blow without activating that diamond thing on her head, like that Hokage with the big breasts.

In fact, he was sure she was done for when Naruto stood up, caked in splinters, looking at his bare hands for any sign of flesh or bone. He had thought he'd killed her, too.

Imagine their surprise when her scream rang out.

It was such a brutal plea that, without meaning to, Suigetsu's feet moved towards it. Shoulder to shoulder, his teammates and Naruto ran to the noise, expecting to see carnage and gore. Instead, they were blessed with something less gruesome and extremely rare—raw emotion, from Sasuke Uchiha.

From their travels together, Suigetsu had learned a lot about this strange Uchiha man who wanted to murder his own kin. ( _Heh,_ he thought. _It must run in the family._ ) The first being that this man was incredibly powerful at such a young age. Along with his cocky and condescending attitude, he had a dominance that radiated from him almost sickeningly.

Nothing about his cursed soul seemed delicate in the least. Nothing about his mannerisms have ever been soft, careful, or cautious in respects to another human being. Nothing about the way that he was holding that girl made any sense to Suigetsu whatsoever—

If Karin wanted an explanation, she'd have to look elsewhere.

Suigetsu had felt like an outsider, watching an important segment of their life play out. Was this the start of something repulsive, like…like _true love?_ What else could one use to explain the look in Sasuke's eyes, the weakness about him as he cradled that unimportant kunoichi as if she were the very life force that sustained him? As soon as the blossom caught Sasuke's intense look, she'd stopped yelling—it was instantaneous. She was still traumatized, unable to move her own body or speak, but he had gotten through to her.

If any of his enemies had seen his cowardly display, they'd use her as leverage and slay her on the spot. More importantly…if Suigetsu knew of this weakness, what could he sway Sasuke to do for _him_? Perhaps gathering the Swords Suigetsu so lusted after would be easier than once thought.

Jugo stops suddenly, looking up towards the deep blue sky above. Birds few off to their nests in groups, flying in V-shapes off of the leaders updraft. Is that what Team Taka was doing? Were they following a hawk, sapping its energy just to benefit themselves? He squeezes his fist and looks at his teammates, who both curiously gaze towards him.

"Who is that woman?"

"That's..." Karin wanted to say it was Sasuke's ex-teammate, his old comrade. She wants to say that she's nothing more than a healer, who Sasuke lets tag along because she reminds him of a time not so good, but not so bad, either. But after seeing the intimate display before, she simply didn't know what to say.

Who _was_ that girl? Who was Sakura Haruno, with the pale skin and the pink hair and the _lady balls_ to tell Sasuke to back off, to stop fighting, to run in between the most powerful ninja in the entire world just to stop them from hurting one another.

What was Sakura doing during their last battle? Did Sasuke know that she would intervene that time, and this time, too?

"Sakura is her name." She finally says, because in this moment, that's the only thing that Karin knows for _sure_.

Her name is Sakura. She is a medical kunoichi. She is friends with Naruto Uzumaki and…and she's something to Sasuke Uchiha. Something.

"She's in the hospital now?" He asks, looking beyond the street to the large white building that was presumably housing her. "Will she be able to participate in the Exams next week?"

"I doubt it." Suigetsu says, with an air of finality. He felt sure of the one thing, and that was the fact that a weak, prying little girl couldn't heal that quickly from such a debilitating blow. "The Exams are three days away. Whatever happened back there..." his voice trailed off as he thought. "Whatever happened back there will take her time to get over."

* * *

Nothing in this town reminded Sasuke of what it used to be.

He stands atop the Hokage summit, staring down at the bustling village below him. There is construction everywhere—new transportation is being built, homes are being forged, restaurants and business are rising from foundation, carved wood and metal.

Nothing in this town reminded Sasuke of what it used to be, and yet, being here still made his skin crawl.

The grass beneath him was nostalgic. It is the same texture as it has always been. It smells like soil. It feels like fur. It's almost as though he could drift away on the tips of the blades and fall right over the edge, passing Kakashi's engraved face as he plummeted towards the people blow him.

Sasuke wonders if, from that height, he'd die.

The man stands, walking towards the cliff, listing to the sound of foliage turn into gritty stone on the soles of his feet. His eyes close and his head feels dizzy. The wind brushes against his back, blowing so strongly that his hands catch and it's almost as if gravity is willing him near the brink.

Sasuke takes one, then two steps, never opening his eyes to see how much space is left for footholds. As his leg rises for the last pace, a voice calls to him from behind.

"Are you going to kill yourself, o' mighty Sasuke?"

And just like that, his eyes open and the wind seems to still.

Kakashi is not adorned with a triangular hat, nor a flowing white coat. He looks nothing like the celestial being Konoha had etched into the mountainside. When he steps out of the darkness and tucks away his erotica, Sasuke meets him halfway.

During his travels, when he'd been summoned back to Konoha for these examinations, Sasuke had no idea what they'd entail or what the dynamic between Cell 7 would be. He knew that Naruto would be as obnoxious and excited as ever, and Sasuke had inklings that Sakura would be just as hospitable. This talk with Kakashi was something he wanted to avoid at all costs—

It was _so_ like Kakashi to catch him with his guard down.

"No," Sasuke responds, meeting his former sensei's eyes fully.

Walking passed Sasuke to the view of his village and all of the people who inhabited it, the Hokage plops down. Dangling one foot over the ledge, Kakashi speaks into the slow-moving breeze. "I heard about what happened today during training."

Of course, he would have. Of course, the man who needed to know all of the ins and outs of this place would know that Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki had gotten into another scuffle. This time, he wasn't there to rebound their attacks.

Sasuke's positive that he wouldn't have been able to, anyways.

"What else have you heard?"

Though it's been many years, Sasuke was very much the same. The circumstances of his aloofness were different, sure, but the man standing behind Kakashi would always be reserved, unemotional, and enigmatic.

"I hear a lot of things."

Kakashi was like Sasuke in many, many ways.

To be honest, he had not come this way to stop a freefall. He hadn't even come here to chew out Sasuke. Something compelled the man to traverse up this rock formation, simply to explain what was to come.

Before he can get to the point, he hears Sasuke's boots grind into the pebble as he steps nearer. "What things have you heard about _Sakura_?"

Leaning back onto his palms, the Hokage sees an upside-down view of the last Uchiha. His hair, which was neither disheveled nor kempt, framed his flinty face as he looked downwards.

Days long ago, when Team 7 consisted of a knuckle-headed brat, a gifted sociopath, and a brainy cupcake of a girl, they all relied on one-another. Missions, though they were incredibly difficult from the get-go, became easier. Each child learned compassion and acceptance. When they danced over the trees in the outskirts of this town, it didn't matter that Naruto had a murderous demon within his body, or that Sasuke was tormented and homicidal. It didn't matter that Sakura was hopelessly in love, and Naruto was the jealous type, and Sasuke never paid either any mind.

They were a unit, working to become the ninja they are today.

It was always Naruto who inquired about Sakura's wellbeing first, and Sasuke who eavesdropped to settle his spirit. Right now, Naruto is by her side, and the man above him has no choice but to ask the questions himself.

"She's stable." He says, and then looks back at the bustling streets beyond. "You could have killed her—both you and Naruto."

Sasuke already knows this. He clenches his hands and narrows his eyes, not sure whether Kakashi will scold him or leave him be. Not remembering a time when he'd become so forthcoming, the Uchiha lets words fall from his mouth without comprehension.

"I'm tired of almost killing her."

It pissed him off. There were times as Genin where Sasuke would give up his safety to protect Sakura. When two men suddenly appeared out of a puddle of water, on their first mission outside of these walls, Sasuke was fully prepared to take a poisoned knife to the gut for her. In all of those instances, Sakura could have easily avoided the conflict.

Why didn't she _move_ from danger, instead of run towards it? Was there something wrong inside of that smart head of hers? She would wrap her arms around him in the most dire of moments, when Sasuke was under the influence of his curse, when he wanted to _end_ anyone that hurt her.

"She's always in the way."

Kakashi, with his infinite wisdom, only chuckles at this. "She is a ninja, sworn to protect. You cannot fault her for that." When he only hears with silence, something within the silver-haired man feels the need to say more. "Sakura is also compassionate. She will do anything to save the people she loves—especially you, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowls, flickering away from the scene before any more sentiments can fall out. He has no time for such nonsense.

There's training to be done.

* * *

She smelled…a hospital. Sakura's nose had always been more inept to scents. There was no doubting the antiseptic stench of Konohagakure's clinic—lime and citrus with a dash of vinegar.

There was a dull throb at the base of her skull, as if Tsunade had snuck _sake_ into her tea again and she'd woken up with a massive hangover. Her right eye wouldn't open—sleep had sealed it shut. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was so _incredibly_ sore. Her bottom lip stretched uncomfortably from dryness and newly healed skin.

Naruto watches through his blue eyes and his friend comes to. Sakura didn't look bad at all—Ino had healed her lip and the skin on her belly from Sasuke's _Chidori_.

" _A few more seconds, one more inch_ , _and I'd be mending guts. You and Sasuke are both total morons."_

As a ninja, you see a lot of death. Naruto doesn't like to kill if there's no need. He'd much rather lock up a villain for all of time, than plow his blade through their heart. Certain times called for certain measures. Yet…

Naruto had never seen anything like Sakura's terror.

Even though her voice was raspy and stiff, Sakura tested the chords and lifted her hand towards the blond. He captured it quickly and pressed her palm to the birthmark whiskers on his cheek. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

How typical of her. How typical of Sakura to be concerned with _his_ wellbeing, when she was nothing but a shell, draped over itchy hospital bedding. Bringing her fingertips to his lips, he spoke against them.

"I almost killed you."

Naruto was never good with words. He messed them up a lot, actually. There was a lot you had to learn, when interacting with others. It was always so easy to be honest with Sakura. Right now, he wishes there wasn't so much to be honest about…

At the age of twenty, Naruto should be _better._ The relationship he had built with Kurama was solid. Naruto's emotions affected the fox demon, however, and what Naruto _wanted_ to do was a lot different from what Naruto _should_ do.

Sasuke should have such a sway over him.

"Almost doesn't count," He hears her say. "Better luck next time, though!"

"This isn't funny."

Sakura looks beyond him. She looks beyond the gaudy orange jacket and the messy blond hair—beyond those impossibly blue eyes and into the soul that lurks beneath. There was a pureness in him, one that was rare and undesirable in the profession of killing and fighting. For others, it was coal.

For Sakura, it was _diamond._

"You're right. It isn't funny, because it's not possible. There's no way that you would let yourself kill me. If I felt like I was in danger, I would have activated my _Byakugou_ seal."

Naruto grows stiff. "And what about Sasuke? You know that—I mean…Sasuke could have…"

Smiling deeply at her friend, Sakura sits up in her hospital bed and swings her legs over the side. "Sasuke isn't like you. He _could_ kill me—he's tried, just as I have."

As she looks beyond the blinds of that fresh-smelling, white room, a hawk perches along the windowsill and cocks its head to the side. Sakura stands, opening the shutters and tugging the glass so she can brush her knuckle against the large, brown bird.

"Sasuke isn't like you…but Sasuke's not evil, either. I know you'll both protect me, no matter what. Even if that means you'll have to stop fighting, simply because you know I'm foolhardy enough to run between you. Right?"

After cleaning its feathers, the hawk takes flight. Naruto's left watching the breeze spread Sakura's long hair out like angel wings.

* * *

Hinata met him at the doorstep, bowing down in greeting. "Welcome home, darling."

Her voice reminded him of better days. The leaves changing as autumn reared its head. The smell of fireworks as they burst through the sky during the end-of-year festival. She was happy and modest and _his_ , all _his_.

There's something about the way her ninja uniform fits, that sets Naruto's skin on fire. Her long, black hair is held back by a white ribbon at the base of her neck. Those pearlescent eyes bore into his, reading his movements as he enters the foyer of their first home.

 _Their_ home—the Uzumaki abode.

He was always the first to kiss her, and that was okay. She was timid and shy, even as a wife. Naruto smothered her lips with his, drinking in her femininity and her admiration with each open-mouthed part.

Before long, the darkness of the foyer drifts to the brightness of a bedroom. For some reason, though they each sleep with one, their bed is overwhelmed with pillows too fancy and uncomfortable to lie on. Like always, twelve fluffy objects fall to the floor after one quick sweep, making room for the couple as they seem into the warmth.

"How was training with Kiba and Shino?" He asks against her cheek as he dips to her neck. Her shoulders tremble against her will.

This closeness with her is never about sex. It is never about being inside of her, rolling in passion, quick releases. It's about being _one_. It's about the completeness of burrowing into your other half—fitting together like two puzzle pieces destined to conjoin.

For now, though, it's about her arms wrapped around his torso and the gentle brush of her fingers as they curl into his hair.

"I-it's fine...they both are in excellent condition. Sparing with them is always entertaining."

After a few moments, those fingers move lower. Her hands work the zipper of his jacket—the one she patiently tells him to leave at the door when he enters the home. When Hinata exposes his chest and untucks his arms from their sleeves, Naruto leans into their mattress and lifts his hips so she'll take off his pants, too.

Hinata laughs, curling beside her bare husband and wrapping her arms around his head.

"Sakura almost got hurt today...real bad."

"…will you tell me what has happened?"

His cheek nuzzles into her cleavage and he centers himself between her thighs. "I mess up. Again. Like I always do."

Naruto liked _something_ about Hinata that hardly anyone knew about. He liked it more than he liked training—more than he liked drinking with his friends—almost as much as he liked _ramen_. It was her honesty.

"Your mistakes do not define you. You should worry less about what you did wrong, and worry more about how you should correct it."

Lifting his bandaged hand into the sky, Naruto takes in her words. They seep through his skin, passed the muscle and bone, all the way to the middle of his chest where his heart beats softly.

Regretting their final battle was not an option. Without fighting Sasuke, seriously, he might still be the tortured soul he'd turned into long ago. With that being said…nothing about the bickering this morning was worth losing Sakura over.

Turning towards his wife, Naruto embraces the sophisticated, demure woman he'd been blessed with. He silently thanks God for being patient with him.

After all, Naruto was a knucklehead.

* * *

Sakura paced around her room.

The darkness of the night did not reflect anything in the obsidian bedroom. The temperature of the house was cool—cold enough to warrant an oversized shirt and baggy sweatpants. As the television prattled on about the happenings in Konoha, Sakura turned her last circle, plopping onto her bed with a defeated groan.

How would she tell her teammates that she was finished with their petty rivalry? How could she talk to Sasuke earnestly, without coming off as a total bitch in the process? It was easy with Naruto. He knew he was wrong. A trip to Ichiraku Ramen and a few free bowls of soup should be enough to keep him under key.

But, what would she do about Sasuke?

Sasuke was not privy to blackmail. He didn't care for anything in particular. He listened to no one, and did what he thought was right, even if he'd been led astray or compelled by emotions. Sakura bites her lip, wondering how his mother handled him when he was a boy.

Closing her eyes, Sakura sighs. Sasuke is _not_ a boy. Sasuke is an intelligent being with the power to demolish planets if he pleased. There was no point in fighting against him. If another battle came up, Sakura doesn't know of any other option than to throw herself between the two and hope to God that there won't be a next time.

Sitting up suddenly, the woman pulls out Kakashi's scroll and slides the twine out of the way. Her manicured nail drifts over the scrawl, reading each word, memorizing each phrase.

More than anything, Sakura wanted to become a Jōnin. She'd had an idea in her head for a while now—a Children's Hospital. Orphans littered these lands, starving for both food and love, turning their sadness and rejection into unbridled anger.

Sakura didn't want there to be any more angry children, desperate for attention and appreciation. She couldn't save Sasuke. As a young girl, there was nothing for her to do but watch as he fell deeper into this depressions and obsessions.

She is no longer a young girl, though. Just as Sasuke is a man, she too is a woman. Even if her Children's Hospital contributes to one child—one child in the grand scheme of things, it meant that Sakura was one-step closer to saving the world from another bout of impending disaster brought on by cold hearts and narrow eyes.

Clenching her fist, the woman let determination flow through her. Sakura knew that she would have to protect Naruto against Sasuke's constant belittlement. She would also have to wiggle her way past Sasuke's defenses, and help him understand Naruto. Perhaps, while she was there, the kunoichi could leave her own impression on Sasuke's heart, too.

If not as a lover, than as a friend.

The mirror in the corner of her room caught her eye. It reflected her seated position atop her bed. Pale skin was illuminated from the moonshine; her peach hair was almost translucent against the light. Slender fingers danced up her arm, the place where Sasuke's hand had caught her after he teleported from Kaguya's desert dimension. She could remember the heat of his skin, his scrutinizing stare, and the feel of his chest against her back.

If she closes her eyes tightly, the brush of his fingertips against her forehead is almost tangible.

Night had always brought her memories of him. Not all were pure and pleasant. Sometimes, screams would draw her awake, when the lightning of Sasuke's hand drew nearer to her throat. And, other times she'd arouse feeling sticky and sweaty, panting as shockwaves tingled from her head to her toes.

Suddenly, it's too hot in this stuffy room.

Without meaning to, Sakura finds herself running across the rooftop of her neighbor's home. Dodging broken shingles from heavy rains, each step sends her deeper and deeper into her hometown. Small, agile feet carry her far away, beyond closed shops and restaurants and between scattered pedestrians.

She is going to a side of town that has been demolished and rebuilt in only a few years' time.

Up ahead, beyond this street and around a corner, a remodeled apartment sits. To anyone else, it was just another new studio, with brand new appliances and brand new people to fill it. But to Sakura, it was the ghost of Sasuke Uchiha's old home. It was where she went when everything felt _wrong_ and time needed to stand still.

She remembers sneaking in through the bathroom window, right after Naruto and Shikamaru and the others went on their retrieval mission to save Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches. She remembers the smell of the bed he hadn't slept in that night—white rain and lavender, because he had trouble sleeping.

There wasn't any dust; everything was immaculate, lonely, and formal. That day had been bright and the sunlight carried rays throughout his home. On a shelf sat their team photo, laid flat on its face as if Sasuke couldn't be bothered to look at them any longer.

His room was as far from homey as homey could get, as if he never thought of it as his home in the first place.

Bracing her hips on the undented railing, Sakura closes her eyes and looks up at the stars. Beyond them, the unreachable moon flickered in the darkness. From its high pillar, 384,499 kilometers away, something within that kunoichi's head lights up.

Sakura has _been_ to the moon. If she had compared that "unreachable" planet to Sasuke Uchiha her whole life, then the fact that she's walked across its surface meant…perhaps…her friends wasn't as far away as she originally thought.

If Sakura wanted to open up a Children's Clinic, she would need to be serious about her approach. How could Sakura heal strangers if she could not even heal one of her dearest friends? With a bout of pure determination, Sakura realized that Sasuke needed to find his _home._

Sakura wanted to save him. So, she decided that she would.


	5. Chapter 5: Round One: Start!

_**Chapter 5: Round One: Start!**_

The mission building had a peculiar aroma—mothballs, antiseptic, and the pungent, iron-like scent of blood. Sakura strode between Sasuke and Naruto as they made their way through the long, winding corridors. Having been here once or twice before, Sakura knew exactly what took place in the soundproof rooms beyond the heave, white doors.

If she closed her eyes and listened hard enough, she was sure she could feel the vibrations of tortured screams from captured enemies.

Pushing through the opening of a guarded door, Sakura is surprised to see rows of ninja lining the floor. Each man and woman had large, chakra seeping devices strapped to their scalps that undoubtedly involved the first stage of the Jōnin Exams. Although they were there willingly, no one could _possibly_ enjoy being drained of their power.

Having chakra was something Sakura was thankful for every day as a ninja. She would be nothing without it.

A Hokage clone stood in the room's center, gesturing for his students to step forth. He looked odd in the traditional cloak of Rokudaime. Nothing about his past gave his students the impression of royalty. Everything from his posture, to his messy, silver hair clashed against the flowing attire Naruto so longed to wear.

"So, your clone is on time, but the real Kakashi never is?" Naruto mocked. "This is kinda worrying."

"Maybe that's why he's on time." Sakura giggles. "All he has to do is send a copy to do his bidding!"

The nostalgic teasing helped ease the tension inside of her body. Sakura hadn't seen much of Kakashi after the war, and that was to be expected. Studying under Lady Tsunade, Sakura knew how much paperwork and exertion accompanied the title. She was happy she hadn't been around for _his_ breakdowns.

"Ah, yes well...I suppose I deserve that." The doppelganger murmured. After scratching his head, he stands up straight and looks at each one of his previous students with hard, dull eyes. "Let's not waste any more time."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm ready to kick some ass!"

With liquid movements, the clone passes out thick, bound scrolls. Sakura clasped hers tightly, reading the symbols that were splayed across. It looked similar to the Slug Summoning Contract Tsunade had performed by her side. It wasn't the same summon, but it was comparable.

Where were they sending them?

"When you feel you're prepared, make the decision as teammates to unravel the parchment simultaneously and the first round will start. Good luck."

"That's it?" Naruto droned, speaking to a ball of smoke. "He's not gonna tell us anything more than that?"

"Obviously not," Sasuke retorts, flanking the other two. In their triangle, each prepares to open their scroll with a synchronized countdown.

3…

2…

1…

 _Open!_

* * *

Sakura smelled something sweet.

Batting her eyelashes, the bleary world around her slowly started to take shape. There's a…wall, a countertop, and upon it sits a fresh plate of anko dumplings in beautiful shades of pastel pinks and greens.

Just as everything starts to level itself out, a beast of a _thing_ rounds the corner and all but throws a bamboo cup onto the tabletop. "Here's your tea." The humanoid pig barks.

By now, an anthropomorphic, talking _boar_ isn't the weirdest thing Sakura's ever seen. In fact, this place reminds her of the demons in Shikkotsu Forest. The only difference is that she's not being chased by slugs this time. She's being served by pigs.

Groaning, Sakura buries her hands into her hair.

To her left, a figure suddenly sits down. It smells of gentleman's cologne and grass—though the combination might seem odd, it's very comforting to Sakura in this moment.

"Kakashi, what the _hell_ is going on?"

He takes one of her dumplings and twirls it in the syrup before pulling down his mask and exposing the smooth skin of his face. Although it's the breifest of flashes, a sudden heat rises to Sakura's cheeks and she has to cool them down by pressing her palms firmly against them.

As if he had not just revealed the biggest mystery of her Genin days, Kakashi explains to his favorite female student just was "the hell" was going on. "That scroll in your hand," He says through bites, thoroughly enjoying his food. "You can't open it until you meet up with Naruto and Sasuke. If you do, you'll die."

Her mouth betrayed her, sputtering and stumbling over her words. "I-I'll die? W-what do you mean I'll die?"

By now, Kakashi's sure he wouldn't have to explain the concept of death. "Expiry, to perish, to _croak_ —if you die here, you die in Konoha."

"Where is "here", exactly?"

"The "in-between" of all three Sage realms, of course. It's taken a few years, but the Brainiac's that work in the logistics department have figured out how to combine human chakra to summoning scrolls, so we can have easier access to battling beasts. For some reason, a unanimous decision was made to test their capabilities during the first round of the Jōnin Exams. The region you're in intersects with Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave."

Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave were the "Three Unexplored Sage Regions". Within these regions, many types of super beasts thrived—the Legendary Sannin made deals with each of their respective monsters to aide in battle when necessary: Katsuyu, Gamabunta, and Manda.

If Sakura is here, that must mean the people with chakra devices on their heads have been successful in transportation. The name, "Unexplored Sage Region" may cease to exist before long.

"What are we supposed to do?"

Placing his elbow onto the counter, Kakashi looks deeply into Sakura's eyes. "You are supposed to do _many_ things here. The most obvious reason is a simple detective case—there have been mysterious things happening to the citizens of this place. Male summons have been turning up missing. As an act of good will between our world and theirs, we have both agreed to allow ninja into this place to help solve this conundrum. Except, there's a catch."

With Kakashi, there always was.

"Being a ninja is a gift. Chakra was bestowed upon us to be used as a tool—but if you cannot protect yourself with your own might, you have no place as a Jōnin. You, and your comrades, need to rely on your _strength_ as a unit to complete the mission. To help ease the minds of the summoning monsters, it has been decided that all participants will be denied access to their chakra until back in your own world."

Like a hit to the stomach, Sakura feels a rush of air escape her body.

It had been so long since she felt the emptiness within her body that told her that chakra was not available. Usually, this hollowness was accompanied by either death, or pure exhaustion. As dizziness filled her senses and question after question rolled around her head, Kakashi stands places square coins upon the counter.

"Don't open the scroll you have without your teammates present—don't allow them to see what is on your particular parchment, either."

Gulping, Sakura stands too, abandoning the dumplings as she tails her Hokage. "Is there anything else?

Warningly, the man turns on his pokes his finger roughly into the slender inch of collarbone that peeks from beyond the deep V of Sakura's kimono. "If it gets out that you're a human, every demon within the next mile will try to snatch you up. A seal on your stomach hides your human scent. Keep it from being damaged. Be cautious."

With that, just as quickly as he came, Kakashi disappears in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Greedily slurping, the last fat noodle at the bottom of a table-sized bowl hungrily enters Naruto's mouth. The flavor here is different—spicier and _thicker_ —and although it's nothing like Ichiraku, it's still _damn_ good.

Kakashi had arrived earlier like a phantom, stealing some of the food Naruto had been offered and explaining with cloudy, vague words, what Cell 7's mission entailed. 1. Find out why monsters are missing. 2. Don't die. It really wasn't very hard.

Naruto's not afraid to admit he's gotten a bit cocky. Hell, defeated the Goddess of chakra could do that to a guy. He's married, he pays his own bills, Sasuke's back, the world is at peace, and after the Exams he'll steal that pointy hat right off Kakashi's crooked hair!

Standing up to adjust the old-school robe that hung loosely over his shoulders, the man rubs his swollen belly and makes his way out of the restaurant. The heels of his shoes click, like in old samurai movies, and Naruto decides he'd look freaking cool if he threaded his fingers behind his head and leaned back when he walked.

Yeah, just like that.

Not two seconds after stepping out of those shutter-like doors, a rocking explosion shakes the ground from far down the road. As smoke billows and summon-monsters gallop away, Naruto rushes towards the activity, hoping to end this mission in thirty minutes flat.

* * *

Sasuke was _drunk_.

Sasuke was absolutely, positively, shitfaced drunk. It was the type of inebriation tells your brain to stop forming memories—the type that shuts down ones hippocampus and forces your body to move on overdrive unconsciously. It was also the first time Sasuke had been drunk since he was experimented on by Orochimaru.

Sasuke was supposed to be _immune_ to such intoxications.

His body moves, taking in another _bottle_ of dark liquor before the bartender comes back to snatch it from his hands. "You've had enough, haven't ye?"

Ripping it back out of the wolf's paw, Sasuke brings it to his lips. "I guess not."

Moments later, the bickering between customer and employee turns into an all-out fight, in which the humanlike wolf shows his teeth, and Sasuke breaks a bottle over his head. The man vaguely remembers Kakashi mentioning death, the absence of chakra, and a swirl on his stomach that shouldn't be touched—none of which matters as the beast flies across the bar and sinks his teeth into the flesh of Sasuke's _real_ arm.

Dithering from his blackout, Sasuke tries to expel lightening from his hand. _Ah, right, no chakra._

The feeling of being _royally pissed off_ fades as darkness consumes him once more.

* * *

"Naruto!"

Seeing a shock of blond hair amongst the reptilian skin, thick furs, and dark shells of a multitude of creatures sent a rush of relive throughout Sakura's soul. In her well-fitted kimono that wrapped around her ankles, speed was impossible. Thanking God that the shrill, childlike voice of her youth remained intact, the woman weaved through pounding feet, waving her arms frantically.

"Sakura, there you are!"

Falling into his arms, Sakura lets the man spin her around as she digs her fingers into his back. Finally, a _friendly_ face.

"Do you know what's going on? Have you seen Kakashi? Where's Sasuke?"

Nodding, the man looks towards a commotion down the long stretch of road. "I think I know where Sasuke _might_ be. C'mon, let's end this quickly."

Hiking up her dress, the two clack their feet against the dusty street, conferring briefly on the expectations their former teacher left them. Sakura knew it was silly to have such little expectation of Naruto. Why she had worried that he wouldn't understand the gravity of their situation? She scoffs, panting breathlessly as her plain human legs carried her between the towering animals of the Sage Realm.

"I was sent to a sweet shop." Sakura says. "You smell like ramen. Maybe we were directed to where we'd most likely be seen, if we lived here. So far, everything thinks I'm a terribly ugly monster, because our human smell is suppressed."

"So, they put us in food-related places. Does Sasuke like food?"

It had been a long time since Sakura knew what Sasuke's likes and dislikes were. He liked training. He disliked surgery things. He liked girls with long hair. He disliked Naruto.

…That was the extent of her knowledge.

Naruto scratched his head, adjusting orange yukata uncomfortably between strides. "Maybe he'll be a weapons shop. Ya know, he likes to sharpen his tools all the time. Er—at least he used to. I think he was threating me, more than worrying about his blades…"

"That's perfect!" Sakura yelled. They couldn't do anything until they were a _team_ , and as much as she wanted to know what the ruckus was down the way, Sasuke was an imperative part of their mission.

Though the buildings in this place were massive, the writings were easy to read. Turning sharply on her heel, the woman strides towards the building they'd just passed. It had a wooden sword carved atop—a blacksmith's shop, undoubtedly.

All but kicking the door open, Sakura scoured the room, ignoring the large ape-owner as he eyed them with interest. Taking the opposite side of the building, Naruto and Sakura looked high and low for their partner.

Her heart deflated. Sasuke wasn't here.

If they couldn't find him, they would fail before their mission even began to start. There was no way she was willing to open her scroll without everyone present. It literally was a death sentence! Sakura groaned aloud, running her hand through her tangled waterlily locks.

Suddenly, without warning, a vicious growl wafted its way through the shop door. Craning over his booth, the ape narrowed his eyes as a werewolf creature that was four times the size of Naruto scrambled passed the window.

Following closely behind was Sasuke, looking equal parts menacing and disheveled.

"I found him." Naruto says blandly.

* * *

"This is weird. I can't tell if he's drunk or psychotic."

Naruto adjust his hold on Sasuke as the leave the scene of the crime quickly. It was bad enough the trio was surrounded by huge, menacing titans that could devour them in one half-swallow—no, Sasuke had to pick a fight and make things worse.

Sasuke's bangs stuck to his forehead; a sheet of sweat had enveloped his skin. His face was blotchy with drunkenness. "He smells like Tsunade."

Sakura had seen many of Sasuke's sides. She had seen sadness, despair, and terror. She had seen him writhe in pain that should have killed him, smile earnestly and kindly, and snarl with pure bloodlust and hatred for everyone that surrounded him.

Drunken Sasuke, however, was a new one.

Naruto shouldered Sasuke's arm, helping him stand once more. "I show up in a ramen stand. Sweet Sakura goes to a candy store. And you…well…what the hell happened to you, you bastard?"

"I'm drunk?"

"No shit!" Naruto barked back.

"Naruto," Sakura says gently. "We need to find shelter. It may be early morning back home, but the sun is going down here. See if you notice any inns."

They stumbled around on the road, dodging the large feet of toads and other animals that rarely looked down long enough to see what they might squish. Beyond, over an incredibly large bridge, Naruto spotted steam billow into the air from a bathhouse. There was bound to be a hotel nearby, if a bathhouse was in view.

Sakura, understanding Naruto's train of thought, looped Sasuke's arm around her own shoulders so they could cross the bridge together. The wooden slates were large enough to show the rushing waters beneath them. One misstep could send Cell 7 to their deaths.

Feeling new warmth against him, Sasuke closes his bleary eyes. This was a different kind of shape. Gentle curves, soft skin, the smell of vanilla and honey—Sakura wrapped her arm around his hip and slid her hand into his own.

"Sasuke, I need you to sober up a bit."

"I can't get drunk," He says sloppily. For some reason, there's a twinge of despair clinging to his voice.

"The hell you can't," Naruto replies as he takes the first step of many. "What do you call this, then?"

The bed was much too big. It was the size of two or three king-sized mattresses, all shoved together to accommodate the massive summons who vacationed this area. Sakura wiped the sweat off her forehead as Naruto heaved Sasuke onto the bed, thankful that the square coins in each of their pockets was just enough to cover a few nights' rent.

Naruto peeked around the room, opening all of the drawers and doors. "This place is huge."

A few years ago, Sakura had thought Naruto was incredibly smart for searching around every new room he entered. When they were Genin, it was taboo for a boy and a girl to share the same room when they were offered gratuities on long missions. The first mission they were sent out on when Sasuke was saved, and the ninja world was at peace, Sakura and Naruto tagged along to a trip to see Gaara. But as she grew to know Naruto, she realized it was just one of his many quirks.

In any house that he entered, he behaved the same. Normally, his first stop was the refrigerator, and then he snooped around through everything else. He stood atop the table now, peeking into a cubby above the door.

"So, Sakura," Naruto says, hopping down from his perch. "You're going to work here now?"

"I thought it was a good idea, in case this Exam lasts longer than the days we paid for. I might be able to befriend someone and nose my way around. Besides, I didn't hear _you_ offer to find a job to feed us while we're here!"

He shrugged and plopped down next to Sasuke, who was buzzing from his alcohol. "Why aren't you yelling at him? He's the one that got shitfaced on a mission."

Sakura looked at Sasuke as he brushed his dark, onyx fringe back with the aid of his forearm. His face wasn't red now; he had gotten over his deeply drunken state after walking to the hotel, and through two flights of steps.

Sakura never would have thought Sasuke was the drinking type, but Sakura also didn't know him as an adult. If he wanted to get drunk, he certainly had every right to…on his own time.

"Should we wait until you're sober, or can we all open our scrolls now?"

Eagerly searching within the folds of his yukata, Naruto pulls out his rolled parchment. "I vote yes."

"Naruto, what if Sasuke can't read what his says?"

Wiping his face once more, Sasuke rubs the bleariness from his eyes and positions himself atop the bed, crossing his legs as if he were meditating. Taking his movements as a green light, all three peel back the seal once more and rip open their scrolls, letting their eyes scan the information they've been given greedily.

Sakura was sure that each scroll would have different objectives. If all tasks were completed, and a good amount of teamwork was put in, this round could be completed in no time.

Male beasts have been disappearing from the Sage Realm. 

Reports are highest in the village you have been sent into. 

Be aware of your surroundings and uncover the mystery behind these disappearances. 

Witnesses indicate that a large, gray mansion of sorts may be involved. 

**Do not share any of this information with your comrades.**

Sakura read beyond the handwritten statements that were scrawled below, and then she peered up at her teammates who studied their scrolls vehemently.

Although Sasuke was unable to access his _Sharingan_ , his eyes scanned the paper with the same knowing speed. It seemed that he had been given a more detailed amount of information—something like a map, or perhaps a list of names. A groan from the other side of the room caused Sasuke to look up, meeting Sakura's eyes as he did so. Timidly and cautiously, the woman averted her gaze, turning toward the frustrated noise.

"You could read that better if it wasn't upside-down," Sakura says.

Laughing innocently, the blond did just that and they all spent the next few moments memorizing the information they'd been given. Naruto had a harder time when it came to memorization, and for this reason, Sakura silently hoped that Sasuke had been given something that was more pertinent and helpful.

The kunoichi watches as Naruto and Sasuke look at one another once finished. For a long time, both men had been able to communicate by exchanging blows. They could feel their emotions—their grievances and happiness and everything in between. After furrowing his eyebrows, and then smiling brightly, the blond offers Sasuke a thumbs up which the man promptly ignores.

Black eyes slide to Sakura's, and he stills. They communicate in a different kind of way.

Long ago, Sakura would have been able to tell what Sasuke was thinking. Many missions had gone by where Naruto would run through the woods haphazardly while Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances and knowledge silently.

This was a different time, however. Trust had been broken, lives had been lost, threats were almost carried out, and Sakura isn't sure what Sasuke is trying to say to her anymore. He's too reserved now, which only makes this Exam all that harder.

Clearing her throat, the woman makes her announcement. "I'll suppose that I'll be the leader."

She had been given the mission objective, after all.

"Eh, is that was your scroll said?" Naruto asked suddenly, coming up to Sakura and bumping into her side. Though he was chakra bare, he was still incredibly fast and strong. Her small frame tumbled beneath him and she hit the floor with a thud, bouncing off the man like a rubber ball.

"Why would you ask me that if you knew I couldn't tell you?" She grumbled, pulling herself up with the help of an oversized duvet. "You need to calm down—this isn't a china shop, Mr. Bull."

Naruto scratched his nose, mumbling a shy apology.

Thinking quickly, Sasuke's voice rang out around the room. "You have the objective."

He did not need her to answer. Sasuke had not been a rule-abiding ninja for a long time, but he remembered enough from school to know that the mission objective was always given to the leader. If Sakura, who was a medical ninja and the last line of defense, suddenly announced that she would lead their band of misfits, it obviously meant she knew what to do.

"If you get us there," He said, speaking slowly so Naruto could catch on. "I can take over. Just trust me."

There's something strange in his tone. The way he asks for trust, makes Sakura worry that he has seen something that she did not want him to see or know about.

Trust between teammates was important. You would have to have enough conviction to stay steady as a kunai flew by your ear and into the heart of an enemy. You would have to stand tall as your partner deceived those around them, by calling out your weaknesses to thwart your opponents and catch them off guard.

Sakura wants to say, " _I did trust you._ " The words will never come out, however true they may ring.

Because, Sakura _did_ trust Sasuke. She trusted him when he abandoned his village and left with the evil, vile man that had destroyed their home and murdered their Hokage. She trusted him so much that she offered to fulfill his dreams with her by his side—Sakura trusted him so much that she was willing to defect _with him_.

Biting her lip, Sakura frowns, remembering the lonely apartment Sasuke had grew up in after his family had been slain. Konoha hadn't been a home to him in a very, very long time. Sasuke had never asked her to trust him; she had just decided to do it on her own. That was her mistake.

This time, however, was different. Sasuke _wanted_ her faith, and it was something he had never wanted before. Maybe he was still a little out of his mind—maybe he was a broken human who was trying to stich everything back together in his life as he fought to gain status as a Jōnin. Maybe, for the first time in his life, he was worried about his companion's thoughts towards him. Whatever the reasoning, one thing was absolute.

He asked her to trust him, so she must.

He asked her to trust him, so she did.

Offering her most genuine of smiles, Sakura turned to Naruto, who watched the scene play out placidly. Showing his teeth, Naruto grins back and calls out to the woman. "So, what do we do now, boss?"

"I suppose we should do some reconnaissance. It might sound strange, but I think you and Sasuke should be the ones to look around the village. There should be some obvious signs—what did Kakashi tell you both when he saw you?"

"Something about missing dudes." Naruto replies.

"Then it's settled. Trail after a few men—male—uh, dudes?—and I'll ask around the hotel while I clean some rooms or whatever they direct me to do."

Sasuke shakes his head. "The whole point of this mission is teamwork. Wouldn't splitting up negate that?"

"Teamwork does not always mean you hold hands throughout the battlefield. Sometimes it means charging in for the kill and distracting your enemy just long enough for real damage to be done."

Sasuke frowns, taking in the smooth tone of her voice. She was undoubtedly talking about their fight with Madara—yet, nothing about her quip seems accusatory.

"Don't act like you don't want to hold Sasuke's hand!" Naruto says suddenly. The woman goes from firm leader to blushing mess in a matter of moments. Clenching her fist, Sakura drives it into Naruto's rib.

Blinking, the man responds: "Was that a hit? Or was that a kiss?"

Again, Sakura waves her hand. "I don't know, idiot! Pucker up and find out!"

His hands went up in submission. Naruto, as amazing as he's become, was still incredibly ignorant. For instance, he doesn't understand how painful it is for Sakura to hear jabs about her prowess. He only digs himself deeper into a hole with his next jibe.

"Sorry, it's just strange for it not to hurt. Are you really that weak without your chakra, Sakura?"

She growls. "It's not like I have years of _breeding_ from my clan to mold me into some _toned_ shinobi. And _sorry,_ I don't get to exchange chakra with a powerful beast!"

"Lee's strong without chakra," Naruto mumbled.

This time, Sasuke interjects. "Lee has chakra. He is just incredibly talentless at everything but taijutsu."

"Yeah, but—"

Before anything more could be said, Sakura decided to do her job a leader. She holds up both hands and closes her eyes, stepping between the men as mediator. The action draws forth a well-kept rage within Sasuke.

 _I'm tired of almost killing her. She's always in the way._

He reaches out towards her wrist and captures it, squeezed hard enough to get his point across. When Sakura's confused eyes whip towards him, Sasuke makes sure his tone is steady. "Do not step between me again."

With that, he makes his way towards the rooms exit, deciding that the cover of darkness would be the best for gathering information.


	6. Chapter 6: Distance was necessary

_**Chapter 6: Distance was necessary.**_

There was a particularly _off_ thing about Naruto. By nature, ninja were covert agents. They were skilled in everything from sabotage, infiltration, assassination, guerrilla warfare and espionage. Because of this, it was common occurrence that they were never seen and never heard.

Unless Naruto was around.

The man followed swiftly behind Sasuke, feet tapping against the cobblestone loudly as they tiptoed through various alleyways. It was easier for the man to be sneakier if he was on top of a roof, but without chakra to steady his feet and boost his jumps, staying on level ground would be the best way to go.

"Shut up," Sasuke hisses as pedestrians pass by. There's a high-pitched, feminine giggle, followed by a deep-throated croak as a couple zigzags down the road.

"Hey, do you think summoning animals can breed outside of their species? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that was a bunny and a toad that just walked by."

When Sasuke doesn't answer, Naruto continues.

"Would you call it a "Boad"? Or a "Tunny"?"

Though it had been only a few years, Sasuke was sure Naruto would have matured at least a little bit. He was still just as obnoxiously annoying as he'd always been—even after becoming a man. Ignoring the asinine question, Sasuke gestured towards an unoccupied building and darted across the road once it was clear.

The darkness swallowed their shadows as they nimbly stepped through the cratered shop, guided only by the moonlight that seeped through. It smelled of decay and abandonment. The shelves were stripped of all goods, ripped posters lined the walls, and everything that wasn't bolted down had obviously been moved or stolen.

"Good idea. If we take a high vantage point, we won't have to creep around this massive city in our useless bodies." Naruto says, kicking a wooden plank. It tumbled through gravel and disappeared into obscurity. A few beetles scurried away from the disturbance, their wings clicking against one another, echoing through the vast emptiness.

Pausing only for a moment, Sasuke tests out a brittle-looking step before dashing up the staircase. Beyond a hatched door was the rooftop, which was studier to walk on and smelled a helluva lot better. Naruto takes his side in seconds, looking beyond skyscraper structures suited for the abnormally sized summons.

"Take the left side," Sasuke says, gesturing with his wrapped hand. "I'll keep an eye on that onsen up ahead."

Something about the bathhouse did not set well with him. The first reason was that, out of all of the buildings, that one shone the brightest. It was painted in loud, gaudy colors. Florescent flashing lights lit up all around it, like it was a bar, rather than a relaxing sauna. The fact that it was right across from a hotel set up all sorts of red flags.

Sasuke has been around enough illicit people to know the lewd happenings of the world.

After about an hour, Naruto can no longer stand the boredom. Keeping his eye on the road below, he palms his hand to his chin and scrunches his nose.

"So, why were you such a bastard to Sakura earlier?"

It does not take a genius to figure out what the Jinchuuriki was referring to. Sasuke is surprised that the _dobe_ had held off his inquiries for so long. Cuffing the too-long sleeves of his robe, the man stares off into the distance. "Kakashi told you what would happen if we die here, in this realm."

"Yeah,"

"I don't have the speed, nor the stamina to protect her if we face someone formidable. She always acts before thinking of the consequences. There may come a time when I won't be able to stop myself from hurting her."

Gnawing on his bottom lip, Naruto listens intently. Over the past few months, there has been a change in Sasuke. Kakashi said it had something to do with the Uchiha curse, and once that had broken, the _true_ Sasuke would come out. Apparently, even the Sasuke Naruto had grown up with wasn't the _true_ Sasuke.

The _true_ Sasuke had died right alongside his mother and father.

Yet, here he is, scanning some foreign street, somewhere within the Sage Realm, working with Team 7 to become a Jōnin for the village of Konoha. Sasuke was trying to be open. He was trying to be honest.

Still, Sasuke was an asshole by nature. It was in his DNA.

"Sakura isn't weak anymore. I know she looks like a child, but she's smarter than me and you combined. She acts, knowing full well what the consequences may be."

Sasuke scoffs. "Is that supposed to excuse it?"

"You act so high and mighty, but you're also the type of guy that stepped in front of Haku's needle barrage to save my sorry ass. What was your excuse again?"

A silence forms between them, and Sasuke looks up towards the night in quiet contemplation.

The story of Sasuke and Sakura was a strange one. He remembers flashes of who she used to be—he'd compared her to a mop-dog, whose hair was so shaggy and stringy it covered her eyes completely. She'd hid behind it, too timid and shy to speak to the teachers respectfully. Of course, Sasuke would notice her. He noticed everything.

Not long after meeting Ino, something had changed about her. Sakura spoke up in class and showed her face, unafraid to meet people's eyes any longer. Not only did she respond to the teachers, but she _corrected_ them. And damn, Sakura was fucking smart.

She was also annoyingly persistent, and Ino's haughty nature had rubbed off on her. Like a lost puppy, Sakura worshipped the ground Ino stood on. Whatever had happened between them was for the better, as painful as it may have been.

Sakura didn't need to follow anyone else's example but her own.

Imagine Sasuke's surprise, when that obnoxious intellectual, and her male counterpart (who severely lacked in brains), were paired up with _him._ Of all people, he was stuck between a heart-eyed fangirl with no skill, and a goofy idiot who was too strong for his own good.

Yet, somehow, Sasuke cannot see himself growing such powerful bonds with anyone else but Naruto and Sakura. Protecting them was second nature. Wanting to hurt them went against every cell in his body.

But Sasuke knew he was no saint. He had denied the wants of his heart so many times that, by now, it stopped swaying him.

Movement from below catches his eye. Another bunny-human dances out of the _sento_ , lacing her arms with a different beast. She looks different from the other girl, but only by color. The style of dress was the same.

"Look," Sasuke says, waving over Naruto.

"Huh. Would they make a "Bail" or a "Sunny"? Wait, those are already words. Can snails even do it?"

Sasuke decides that, it would be in their best interest to tail those two. He had to remind his brain that chakra was inaccessible now, so he wouldn't try to jump off the roof. Sasuke was frustrated with the vacancy in his gut. His vision was subpar compared to prowess of the _Sharingan_.

They would have finished this entire mission hours ago if he'd only… _no_.

The point of this exam was teamwork, and relying on human skill. Sasuke had chided Naruto yesterday for relying on Kurama's chakra. He catches his hypocrisy and shakes his head, searching for a built-in ladder to slide down.

Naruto finds it first and makes quick work of the railing, slapping his sandals against the ground loudly. When Sasuke follows suite, he makes sure to have a quieter landing, and soon they are both sticking to the shadows cast by enormous building.

Just as Sasuke had surmised, the couple enters the hotel a few moments later.

Sasuke's scroll had been a detailed layout of whatever building they were looking for. The _onsen_ certainly didn't match the description at all—the blueprint was triangular shaped and only a few stories tall. Both the bathhouse _and_ the hotel were towering rectangles.

"Maybe we should just…enter the _sento_?"

"We're outsiders. I doubt we'd be able to get much information."

Sasuke sighs, squatting down to think of the next plan of action.

"Maybe if Sakura makes a friend at her job tomorrow, she can invite them to the bathhouse?"

"It's _men_ that are being targeted, idiot."

Naruto huffs in response. "Yeah, well, maybe she can invite a _man_ to the bathhouse!"

That would have been a good idea, if the monsters here didn't think Team 7 was just a bunch of ugly, naked mole rats. Threading his fingers behind his head, Sasuke almost decides to call it quits for the night.

At that moment, Aoda slithers his unbelievably long torso by them.

Aoda was almost as large as Manda was, but a billion times more respectful. He did not need to be controlled or bribed to do Sasuke's bidding. Before the blue scales could ripple passed, Sasuke steps from beyond the darkness and called out to his summon.

"Aoda!"

Pausing suddenly, the snake's tongue darted between its snout, tasting the air as it searched for recognizable scent. It's piercing gaze met Sasuke's after a slow swoop of his head, and just like that, the towering creature stood before them.

"Lord Sasuke? I cannot sense, nor smell you."

That was understandable, considering his humanity had been sealed away and his chakra was completely dilapidated.

"We've been cast here under dire circumstances." Sasuke explained, stepping towards the massive beast. He was always curt, but never harsh to his summon. Manda had been quite a hassle to deal with, and the obedient and respectful Aoda was a breath of fresh air. "I need you to help us infiltrate the bathhouse."

Without hesitation, the colossal snake opened his mouth so they could climb in.

Naruto, however, wasn't having any of it. "Oh _hell_ no! You look just like that snake that tried to eat me in the Forest of Death! You must be out of your goddamn mind if you think I'm gonna jump willingly into that monstrosity when I don't have any chakra or weapons."

Shrugging, Sasuke steps beyond Aoda's lips and stands upon his fangs. "Walk, then."

* * *

The salty scent of bathwater started to fill Naruto's nose, making it dribble uncontrollably. Anything was better than the bitter smell of a snake's mouth. His arms remained crossed as he belligerently ground his teeth.

The bathhouse was a stunning piece of architecture. The sheer height of it forced Sasuke to crane his neck uncomfortably, just so he could take in all that it had to offer. Each section had its own spring, with the boiler room being on the lowest level and the more expensive _sake_ baths being on the top. It mirrored the _onsen_ of their lands, except the scent of humanity was nonexistent. Herbal steam wafted through the air around them.

"That way," Sasuke said, ducking back under Aoda's lips.

Sasuke had already noticed that the men and woman's area was separated, and that the woman's area had little to no activity. There were only a few articles of clothing outside of their door, while the men's had practically piled up.

Aoda slunk through the curtains without hesitation, slithering his large body on the outer ring of the hot spring. Many creatures filled the baths, letting water overflow onto the stony bricks below the serpent's lengthy body. If Naruto and Sasuke had been on foot, they would have easily been drowned from the powerful waves.

"Follow them." Sasuke commanded to Aoda as he and Naruto peeked beyond his jaw. He was referring to a small group of males who disappeared into a black curtain, away from the main room of the _onsen_.

"Man, we might finish this without Sakura's help at all." Naruto whispers. His voice is cut off by a husky bellow, and both men lay flat onto Aoda's fangs as a mongoose approached the snake. His teeth poked out between his thin lips. He was obviously not happy to see Sasuke's summon.

"Well, I never thought you were _that_ kind of guy. Don't you have some humans to save? Or did you master let you have a break."

Naruto feels the snake shiver, and his stomach drops as Aoda rocks his head back and forth threateningly. History dictated that mongooses won most battles with serpents, but this mongoose was much too small to pick a fight with Aoda. The hair on its body stands at attention, but he lets the snake through nevertheless.

Almost immediately, the scent of smoke filled their lungs. The previous room was soapy and fresh, wafting the clean fragrance of thymes and spice. Tobacco puffed from long pipes here, making Sasuke's head swim from the lack of oxygen. Massive _Sake_ bottles were raised to the mouths of beasts, which paused only to engage in explicit talk of their upcoming rendezvous. It seemed they were in the right place. Women were to be coming out soon.

"Oh man, that's disgusting. I don't think I've even heard Jiraiya sound _that_ bad. What's attractive about a bunny, anyways? Their ears?"

Though he knows he wasn't asked, Aoda answers anyways. Both Naruto and Sasuke are shifted up and down as he speaks. "I hear they've got stamina."

Naruto feels bile start to rise.

"There," Sasuke says as he motioned towards a barricade. It was sealed with thick metal bars. If Naruto and Sasuke were high-level beasts, it would be impossible for them to bypass the gait. But they are human men, so it's as simple as shimmying off Aoda and walking between the openings.

That was easier said than done, however.

Aoda's skin was slick with moisture, and a slight misstep would send them tumbling to the hard stone below. Sasuke hadn't had to worry about landing carefully in a long time—not since his childhood days. Naruto plunged expertly and tucked his chin and shoulders, rolling straight through the iron bars of the enclosure without pause. Sasuke was not as graceful, and when he hits the ground, a painful shock bolts up through his spine.

Together, both men run, letting their feet carry them into the musty darkness beyond.

* * *

Naruto counts as he slides over wet stones, keeping a steady pace with his partner.

The opening they had entered was nothing more than an incredibly long hallway, leading farther and farther away from the bathhouse. If there were 2,000 steps in a mile, and less if they had broad strides for a civilian pace, then that would mean they'd already ran half that distance.

The candles lined along with walls flickered dimly. If memory served him well, Naruto would say this place was a lot like Orochimaru's hideouts, complete with soggy smells and creepy echoes. A rectangle of light grows in the distance, and just when Naruto increases his speed, the twine of his sandal gives way.

Her opens his mouth to curse, but Sasuke plants his hand firmly across it. Dark figures started to fill the opening—women are approaching and there's nothing to hide behind.

Moving quickly, Sasuke backtracks, remembering a black circle above them. If they were underground, surely there would be a sewage drain to climb into. Naruto follows dutifully, nodding towards the small ladder a few feet above their heads.

Because Sasuke is the tallest, he hoists up Naruto first. Once the blond has a firm grip, Sasuke enters the cylinder and in silence, the men peer between their legs at the ground below. After a few moments, the long ears of rabbit humanoids pass below, walking in a rhythmic step.

When the sound of their tapping feet disappears, and Naruto can no longer keep still, both men fall back down and continue through the bright opening with no more hesitancy.

A black, rectangular homestead greets them from beyond a mote of green, slimy water. "This is it."

Naruto caught up with Sasuke seconds later, crossing his arms above his head as his lungs swallowed in much-needed air. "How do you know?"

The blueprint of his scroll pulsated behind his eyes as his photographic memory matched up the openings of the obsidian…thing before them. It was filled with rooms that led to nowhere, and undoubtedly, plenty of booby traps.

"Well, I guess the only way in is that drawbridge, right? Since we're here, should we go on ahead?"

Sasuke narrows his eyes, taking in the underground room and all of the openings it had to offer. It wouldn't be in their best interest to infiltrate anything just yet—Sakura had the objective, not them.

He clenches his fist and points towards another sewage grate, wordlessly ushering Naruto away.

* * *

A bowl of miso soup warmed her lightly calloused hands, sore from a hard day's work. The steam swirled around above the ceramic cup, becoming trapped in the kunoichi's nostrils as she inhaled its rich scent. It was midmorning now, and she'd arrived back to the shared hotel room only moments ago.

Naruto was asleep, a single leg peeking from under his borrowed blanket. Drool oozed from the corner of his lip, reminding Sakura of their Genin days. The saliva would dry and cake up, and Naruto wouldn't even bother to wash his face until after he'd had breakfast. He was twitching and mumbling, jerking his body to the left and right. He would wake soon.

Sasuke was awake. Nothing about his demeanor or looks hinted it, but Sakura was sure the man had stayed up the entire night. Sharing a bed, no matter how large it was, with someone like Naruto would probably be the last thing he'd want to do.

"How was the mission?" She asks.

Sasuke's hair was loose from the bath he'd taken before she'd arrived, and it shielded his purple-rimmed eye naturally. "We'll infiltrate tonight."

When he sits down across from her, reaching for the soup that she'd stolen from the cafeteria, Sakura can feel a lump rise into her throat. Suddenly, the steady fingers that held her broth so well began to tremble.

"So you've found what…you were supposed to be looking for?"

"I can get us there, yes. I know the layout of the place." His words hold a deeper meaning. "My usefulness ends there."

For some reason, the way he says that makes Sakura shake her head in disagreement. No longer nervous, the woman responds earnestly. "You're incredibly important, Sasuke!"

The look of bewilderment that flashes across his face is not only a rare sight, but an embarrassing one. Slapping her hands to her mouth, Sakura ducks behind her waterlily fringe, cursing her overly emotional response.

After being the underdog, and the "useless" one for years, Sakura could admit she became sensitive when others downplayed their importance. Obviously, Sasuke wasn't the type to think he was unimportant—ever—and even if he did, Sakura's input wouldn't make much difference.

During the odd ordeal, Naruto decided it was no better time to wake up.

His short, spiky locks had drooped during his rest, and his hand dove into them to scratch his scalp. Sakura welcomed his arousal and stared unabashedly as the partially nude man threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"Mornin',"

"Go brush your teeth." Sakura says immediately, waving her finger in the air. "Wipe that drool off your face, too!"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto responds as he walks towards the restroom. "I know the drill. You and Hinata are always on my case."

When they were all gathered around the table, Naruto scarfed down his meal and debriefed Sakura on what had happened the night before. It was hard to understand him through his over-filled mouth, but he carried on anyways, enjoying his breakfast thoroughly.

"Sasuke and I found a drain that will take us straight to the weird underground building. He swears it's the right one. All we have to do is go back the way we came, enter that black pyramid, and I can take over from there! Easy as pie."

Looking at Naruto with disgust, Sasuke explains further. "We were almost spotted. There's no way of telling when those rabbits will head towards the baths. It would be in our best interest to break in while they're gone."

Sakura nods. "Actually…now that you mention it, I guess I did get a bit of information this morning. I saw one of those bunnies leaving the room with a Toad—she said she'd see him again at dusk. We could camp out and wait until she leaves the bathhouse with him again, and then make our way to the grate you both uncovered."

Naruto nodded his head, wiping the food and dried spit from his mouth. "Well then, why don't you sleep until then? Sasuke and I can prepare. We don't have any weapons, after all. It would be good to have something I can stab someone with, if I needed to."

The woman stands, gathering her dishes and rinsing them off in the sink. "It would be best if you went to the blacksmiths alone—Sasuke has made a name for himself already, and that ape would recognize him."

No one disagrees.

* * *

When Naruto finally gets around to leaving, Sakura makes a show of pulling off every blanket atop the mattress and balling it up into one large, bulky cocoon. Sasuke watches as she kicks off her shoes and delves into the warmth, taking over the exact middle of the bed.

He hadn't slept. It had been a long time since Sasuke felt safe enough to rest around Naruto and Sakura. It was funny in a dark sort of way—Sasuke had been the one to try to kill them both, and yet, he is the least trusting.

A weight falls over his eyes as soon as the duvet stops moving. Sasuke rubs them, trying to keep himself awake. Not too many years ago, it was normal for him to stay awake for days at a time. It must have been the transportation—along with his strange, drunken rampage that spread lethargy throughout his body.

The bed was large. From where Sakura slept in the middle, there was _at least_ a few feet of space between. She probably wouldn't even feel him sink into the bed. Just a powernap would do.

Running his hands through his hair, Sasuke leans back in the chair he sat on. How incredibly stupid of him to suggest such things.

He had tried to kill her before, after all.

It wasn't just a one-time occurrence, either. At that time, he and Sakura were on opposite sides of the playing field. He never attacked her for the hell of it. She was an _enemy,_ and when she charged, Sasuke charged, too.

She is nervous around him in a way that she has never been before. She stumbles over her words, and her hands shake sometimes. When their eyes meet, a look of shock and sadness drapes over her features. Sasuke is a raincloud, and Sakura is flower that only blooms in sunlight.

A lot had happened in his absence. Apparently, Naruto had fallen in love with someone else. Hinata of the Hyuuga clan—the weak Byakugan holder that hid in the shadows and stuttered when Naruto was around. How did Sakura feel about that? If anyone were deserving of her, it would have been Naruto.

No one else would do.

The man almost groans aloud, wondering when he had started to preoccupy himself with happy-ever-after instead of the missions at hand. Whatever Sasuke and Sakura were in the past had unraveled completely during the war. Sakura's confession to him was the last he would ever hear of her.

It was for the best.

Unable to stay in the room any longer, Sasuke makes his way towards the window and slides the pane up. Smells of barbeque and cigar smoke enters his lungs. Sounds—slapping feet, meaningless conversations, the odd clink and clang—keep him preoccupied while Naruto gathers weaponry. The sooner this part of the Exam was done with, the closer he would be to becoming a Jōnin.

Then, he'd have an excuse to keep away from Konoha. He would take every long mission Kakashi had to offer. He would travel all over the world, wherever they wanted him to go, and no one could say anything about it. Distance was necessary. Distance would keep him sane.


	7. Chapter 7: Time won't heal all wounds

_**Chapter 7: Time won't heal all wounds.**_

"It's way past dusk, don't ya think?"

Naruto had already repeated those words twice. In the two hours Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke had sat in the abandoned building Sasuke had found the night before, the only animals they'd seen were of the single, female verity. They were getting nowhere, fast.

"I wasn't going to say this," Sakura begins, squatting down lower under the windowsill. "But, do you think _all_ of the men have been kidnapped?"

Sasuke shakes his head. There's a smell that this place brings him, that is not only unpleasant, but bothersome as well. He prefers the stench over Naruto's incessant questions, however. "It would be incredibly stupid of them to do a mass purge."

Stupid didn't mean impossible. The broken glass by her toes crunched as Sakura stepped back, hoping to stretch out her stiff ligaments. The darkness of this place made it almost impossible to see her teammates. "Maybe they think they can get away with it."

One of the witness testimonies on Sakura's scroll had mentioned missing couples—a male and his younger brother had vanished. Two older gents disappeared together. There was even a report of a bachelor party gone wrong. Still, a handful of people was a lot different than a group of twenty. There was a mystery here, and it needed to be uncovered.

"Today might be a house special," Naruto suggest. "Ya know, buy one bunny, get two free? Wait, I think that was a sign at the petshop in Konoha.. _."_

"Or," Sakura says, sighing loudly, "they could be on high alert."

When Sakura mentions this, Naruto feels his heart drop.

While he was out gathering supplies, he had also stopped by a shop to purchase some new footwear. Running in the sewers the night before, the straps to his sandals had been snapped. They were made of twine and bamboo, not suited for traveling ninja at all. To top it off, Sasuke had pulled Naruto away from impending disaster before he could gather his shoes. Those bunnies must have seen it.

"Damn it,"

Which meant, nothing could be done; their only option was to face those women head on.

Sasuke is already walking away. He clenches his fists, wondering how he'd been so stupid to not notice why the hotel seemed to be on guard in the first place. Sakura wasn't even _with them_ when it happened, and her perceptive skills had once again triumphed over his. Quietly, he leads Naruto and Sakura to the grate, entering first. Once the others heard the familiar slap of Sasuke's feet on the wet ground, they jump too.

Sakura had never seen such a peculiar building before. No light shined from an of the windows, giving the black, triangular building a foreboding atmosphere. Though it didn't look guarded, and everything was silent, Team 7 knew that this place had more to offer than what they saw on the outside. Biting the bullet, the three silently decide that they must cross the drawbridge.

If the rabbit-women decided to run out in that moment and cut off the attached rope, they would all be at their mercy.

Sakura takes the lead—she is the smallest and the most nimble. Not bothering to look back at her boys, she slides her palms along the rough rope of the drawbridge, thumping her feet over creaking wooden planks as she carried onward. Waving the others across, the trio run quickly to the base of the ominous building. Naruto is the first to speak.

"What do we do now?"

"The side," Sasuke mutters, inching towards the back corner. He directs them to a row of windows with small ledges. They were spaced about two feet away from each other, and the first one just so happened to be situated a good meter up. The sides of the castle had intricate stonework paneling, which would make it possible for them to mount and climb it, even with it's odd shape. Before Sakura can praise Sasuke, Naruto opens his mouth.

"Why isn't there a window there?" He points to the second opening from the top. "There's no glass on it."

"It's a skylight." Sasuke closes his eyes, remembering the details of his scroll. There were three openings scattered around. If they were elite ninja, he would suggest that they part from here. But they aren't ninja, right now. They are simply weak civilians in this strange world of monsters and demons."We'll have to shimmy up there."

Naruto starts peeling off his shoes before the man even finishes. "Since we can't use our chakra, we've got to do it the old fashioned way. Ya know, like sneaking into your neighbor's house as a kid."

"I haven't done that..." Sakura says unsurely. "Also, it's strange they'd have a skylight…underground, don't you think? This could be a trap."

As she speaks, she pulls out a blade from under her kimono and cuts a slit along the side of the silk fabric. "Still, this is our only hope of entrance." Catching the material as it falls to the ground, Sakura carves out long strips, which she wraps around her own feet to clutch the wet stone easier. "I suppose we have no other choice."

Satisfied with the slack she'd made from her tight-fitting dress, the woman ties a knot in the kimono and looks up, meeting Sasuke's eyes fully.

There it was again.

There it was, that _feeling_ of drowning that Sasuke gave her. Her throat closes and her eyes sting, and it's like she's fighting for her breath as she frantically tries to break to the surface of the water. It was rare to see softness in his eyes, so rare that Sakura might as well be allergic to it. She mistakes his look for pity, and she bites her lip before speaking.

"I…won't let this outfit hinder me. I promise." Sakura refuses to be left behind.

Sometimes, in the strangest of moments, Sakura can remind Sasuke just how evil he truly used to be. Sometimes when she drops her eyes down low, and peeks beneath her lashes, he can feel the trepidation that clings to her skin. She is afraid of who he is, and of what he's done, and where he used to be. She thinks that he sees her as a nuisance, like he used to.

But, that was the farthest thing from the truth.

Watching as Sasuke grits his teeth and turns his head to the side, Sakura decides that she's safe for now. Though her powers were nothing compared to the almighty Uchiha and Uzumaki duo, she still finds pride in the feats she's progressed through.

Sakura has done amazing things. She has fought alongside and against living Gods. She's a healer, a warrior, and beast to be reckoned with. It doesn't matter if Sasuke sees her as a child—a kid sister, who follows him around noisily. This pastel haired, fair skinned woman has surpassed all expectations lined in front of her. Sasuke would just have to wait and see.

Biting her lip, she turns towards Naruto. "I've done a lot of thinking. I'm assuming whatever was in your scroll should be important when we get _inside_ of this building. It may not be obvious right away. Be prepared to fight back and don't be afraid to run—you're only human, here. I don't want to drag your body to Konoha and bury you."

"Yeah, yeah," the man retorts. "I got it."

A second later, Naruto rocked on the balls of his feet and jumped, spanning the distance between the ground and the first window easily with his long-limbed body. He was either fox-like, or toad-like, and today he was the latter. Even _without_ chakra, Naruto was amazingly stout. Sakura watched in amazement as his bare feet curled around various protrusions, expertly guiding himself up to the first frame like some sort of monkey.

Fox, toad, _and_ monkey...Naruto was a man of many faces.

Once centered, he catches his breath and soared again, wrapping extended fingers around the open ledge of the skylight and heaving himself through. A silence follows as his body disappears. Sakura doesn't breathe so she can pick up the sound of painful grunts or clanging metal. She clasps her hands to her chest, straining her vision.

One second passes...then five...

Naruto pops his head out, cupping his hands around his mouth so his whisper can reach them. "I don't see anyone. Sasuke, throw the captain up here, then you can climb up after."

As the words drift down, Sakura pales.

Her mind worked through calculations she hadn't taken into account before. Somehow, Naruto and Sasuke had kept on growing through their adult life. Although she had been the same height as them before, both men stood at least two heads taller. The nostalgia of their reunion had muddied her mindset. She was not twelve anymore, and neither were they.

Shaking her head, she looks at the building once more. The lower portion was slanted, and cemented with decorative rock that shined with slickness, undoubtedly from the steamy mist that wafted from the _onsen._ It was almost impossible for her to jump over 2 feet into the air. For Sasuke and Naruto, it was _easy_.

Preparing for the worst, Sakura looks towards Sasuke, afraid of what he may say.

Sasuke can see the way her shoulders stiffen. The tremble from before comes back full force, and her hands shake again. As she gnaws on her bottom lip, like it could stop the uneasiness that pours throughout her., Sasuke finds himself frozen in his place.

"So...are you guys gonna come up here, or what? We don't have a lot of time, ya know."

Letting his body take action, Sasuke walks towards the slanted wall and positions his body directly under the opening, gauging the distance between himself and Naruto. The blond was right, they _didn't_ have time to worry about silly things. Nothing would be different if he boosted her up. Sasuke would still be a man with many sins, and Sakura would still be broken-hearted and afraid.

When he looks at her, he sees a smile spread across her lips. Just like that, they're kids again. Just like that, her body fills with determination and trust and everything else involved with launching a human-being through a small hole to their possible doom. A pressure falls away from Sasuke's chest. "Just run at me as fast as you can."

When she tucks her head and crouches, Sasuke has no idea what he's in for.

Barreling towards him at a speed he didn't think was possible without chakra, Sakura cuts straight ahead. There's a brief moment of slow-motion that follows. Pebbles fly up from the ground in a dusty plume. Her hair halo's around her head. As her face comes nearer, Sasuke realizes that she has made no move to jump.

He pushes his arms outward, trying to halt this...this train, that has come off of it's tracks. But it's too late. The woman slams right into his chest, knocking the breath out of his body.

"What the _fuck_ ," He hissed as Sakura slammed into him. Her head hits his collarbone and she falls to the ground, like an inanimate porcelain doll. Doubling over, grasping his knees, Sasuke sucks in air as quickly as possible.

She was so _small_. Sakura didn't weigh a few pounds over 100—nothing in that compact body of hers should have hit him like that. As he huffs, Naruto's boyish laugh almost reverberated throughout the emptiness of the cave.

A deep redness inflamed Sakura's face.

"What the hell was that? _Ha-ha!_ You tackled the shit out of him! Oh hell, _ppffft..."_ Naruto pauses only to wipe the tears from his eyes. "You're supposed to jump! J-Jump up!"

Falling to her knees, Sakura grips both of Sasuke's shoulders. "I'm so sorry! You didn't say to jump. I thought you were going to do some cool ninja move and throw me up there! I didn't know. I really didn't know!"

Half expecting Sasuke to slap her hands away, she's surprised when he clutches them instead. Speaking softly and slowly, so he doesn't sound hurt, Sasuke presses his thumbs into the palms of her hands and looks directly into her eyes. There is no anger in those dark, onyx irises. "Try again,"

Just like that, swarms of butterflies come to life within her stomach, twirling cyclones. "Okay."

When she walks back to her spot, her knees nearly buckle. There's a hatred within her—an understanding that she shouldn't be doe-eyed during such an important mission. But...there's also acknowledgment, because she is still just a girl who is madly in love with a man who wants nothing to do with her. Any kindness he offers will always shake her. Any pressure he puts upon her skin will always make her feel feint.

It's just how it was.

Just like before, she's running again. There's a lightness to her step. When she reaches a close enough distance, the woman stretches out her arms and sails, ignoring the warmth of Sasuke's hands on her ribs. There's not enough force to drive her to Naruto, however, and Sasuke catches her as she descends.

"Grab me lower," She commands as she backs away. Her mind does not stray, even as embarrassing words leave her mouth. "If you can push from my thighs, I think I'll have enough momentum."

Sasuke, ever so diligently, obeys her. He watches her hair fly once more as she sprints with determination. He watches her clothing battle gravity, rising up as she plants her feet into the ground and lunges towards him. He closes his eyes, digs his hands into her lower waist, and shoves her into Naruto's arms using the thickness of her bottom as a boost.

She screamed the entire way up.

When Naruto's arms wrapped around her and pulled her through, his wild eyes scoured her expression. Mouth agape, irises in full view, Sakura gazed at Naruto with a exasperated expression as he roared in laughter. "He touched your ass!"

"Shut up!" She hissed back.

But nothing could stop him now. Naruto slams his fist into the ground as he rocks back and forth, unable to stifle his giggles. "How can I? You should have seen your face!"

"Just be quiet already!"

Sasuke pulls himself through, looping his legs into the window carefully. As soon as he's in, he slaps his hand over Naruto's mouth. "I hear footsteps."

Sure enough, a tapping sound started to echo. Footsteps scrambled down the passageway, heading directly towards the trio with every passing tick. Without having time to direct anyone, Sasuke crushed his foot into Naruto's chest, sending him sliding down the hall and out of sight.

Scrambling, Sakura rakes her toes against the floor to gain traction. Weightlessness captures her. In the jumble, realizes that realize Sasuke had gathered her into his arms and leapt for a small door—a laundry chute.

The suddenness of it all causes a squeak to flow from her lips before she could stop it. She clamps her own hand over her mouth.

* * *

The chute led them on a vertical ride to a laundry closet, which was too narrow to fit them both easily. Thinking quickly, Sasuke lifts Sakura onto a soap shelf, raising his finger to his lips to reiterate their silence. They could have been compromised.

There was a light above them—a bulb with a braided chain—but they knew better than to draw attention to the closet. They leave the channel dark, syncing their breaths as they trained sharp ears to the outside world.

Whoever—whatever—had been looking for them galloped straight past, no doubt thanks to Naruto who hustled down the hallway. Sakura clenches her fists together tightly, praying that he was agile and fast enough to run and stay safe.

He was so used to relying on his chakra and his abnormally fast healing ability. None of that carried on to this world. Naruto wouldn't have the strength to stay and fight.

Stray feet tapped by every few minutes, which meant everyone was on high alert. Sasuke had memorized the layout of this place well, however, which gave himself and Sakura a good advantage. If his memory served him well, the floor they'd just been on led right to a flight of stairs. The middle room of this triangular building was purposely blurred in the blueprint, so obviously, that was where they needed to go. If Naruto ran around long enough, he'd eventually make it there. That guy was filled with all sorts of dumb luck.

Sasuke, using his nocturnal eyes, looked behind him to the main door, only to find that there was no handle. He presses his back to it, but it does not budge.

"The latch is on the outside." Sakura whispers, remembering the way her grandmother's laundry room worked. "We'll have to go back up."

Moving his head back towards Sakura, Sasuke stills.

Although he did not have chakra, his _Rinnegan_ remained. He could see the most obscure of details in the darkness of this closet. He could see the crimson flare of Sakura's cheeks from the closeness. The greens of her eyes contained a multitude of colors—chartreuse, bronze and flecks of gold.

He also noticed the tremble of her shoulders—how she refused to look in his direction—as if she were afraid.

Of course, she'd be afraid of him. Why wouldn't she be?

Sasuke squeezes his hands tightly on the shelf, trapping Sakura unintentionally. She seems to notice this, because her legs squish together, her head dips down, and she hides behind her hair like the little girl she used to be.

If someone could sit down and write out all of the inexcusable things Sasuke had done in his lifetime, it would make an entire scroll. He has fought, he has killed, and he has raised his hands to people who never deserved the pain of his fist. Although the reason Sasuke began traveling in the first place was to atone for some of those sins, the man knows it would take more than distance and time to heal their wounds.

His breath escaped him.

"You want us to climb up, right?" She asks, like her shoulders weren't trembling because of his proximity. "Or should we wait a few more minutes?"

Sasuke wants to verbalize words trapped in his head. He wants to tell her more than the apology he gave while she healed his wounds, after his battle with Naruto. He wants her to know that there's no excuse for how been treating her—that she's _strong_ —that he doesn't need to fight with that blond moron anymore.

Throwing him off guard, Sakura laughs. It is not awkward or loud, nor does it hold humor. It just falls out; there's nothing more to it.

"You must think I'm an idiot." Suddenly she's looking at him again. Her eyes are determined and steady, as if she's standing up to some schoolyard bully. "Here I am, batting my eyelashes like a lovesick puppy, while we're in the middle of an _important_ mission. We don't even know if Naruto is okay, and all that's in my head is the fact that you touched my butt thirty minutes ago. No _wonder_ you always berate me. I should know better."

Furrowing his eyebrows together, Sasuke replies. "That's not what I was going to say."

His words obviously don't get through. "I'm messing up, still! Why am I talking when we should be silent? Next time, kick _me_ down the hallway so I can at least be productive."

"Like I'd want to be in here with Naruto." He retorts. Surprisingly, Sakura slaps her hands over his lips.

"See, now when you say stuff like that, it makes me think things like: " _Oh, so you want to be in here with me?"_ and that messes me up even more!"

Well, it wasn't an entirely untrue statement, but Sasuke decides it would be best to listen to her.

"Now, I'm going to climb up. If you can't, I'll sneak down the steps and unlock you myself. Then we can find Naruto and try to figure out what was in his scroll and how it will help us. Okay?"

"Okay,"

Moving her thighs away, Sakura tucks her legs under her body and raises herself to her full, underwhelming height. Without asking, Sasuke offers his shoulders for her to stand upon, and she presses her bare feet into them quickly. There was just enough room for her to shimmy up using her forearms, hips and toes, but Sasuke would certainly have a hard time. Holding her breath because of the echo, Sakura reaches the top in no time flat.

Before fumbling out into the hallway, the kunoichi lifts the wooden door and looks back and forth. There's no sound. There are no shadows. There isn't even an animal-like scent. Timidly ducking through, Sakura hits the ground running.

Since Sasuke was below, she knew that she had to look for a downstairs. There were a few paintings thrown to the floor, which must have happened during Naruto's chase. Careful not to disturb anything further, she tiptoes on, keeping her eyes peeled.

Finding a door, Sakura enters a room that smelled of jasmine and plum. Clothing was strewn everywhere, left behind hastily by women who had jobs to do. Sometimes, when in a hurry, important things might be misplaced. Sakura wasn't expecting a list of people who were missing or anything, but she wouldn't rule it out, either.

Sasuke could wait.

Opening drawers and sifting through closets, the kunoichi finds only useless things. There's an arrow, but now bow. There's a pair of boots, but they are much too big for Sakura to wear. There's a key, but nothing that needs to be unlocked.

Yet.

Snatching the strange object, Sakura steps back into the open, and finds a staircase farther down the hall. The door is heavy, metal, and locked. She tries the key, but it doesn't work. Cracking her fingers, she pulls a few pins from her hair and shoves one into the lock. Bending the other pin into an L shape, it takes the ninja only a few seconds to break in.

There are laundry buckets and washboards—and in the corner, a wooden door with a wrap-around latch.

* * *

Naruto kept still as the door beside him flew open.

"Where is it? Where is that ugly beast?"

Though he had quite a few things in mind to tell those doxy rabbits, he keeps his lips shut and hugs his knees closer to his chest.

The good thing about being so small was that the large bunny girls couldn't fit into certain places. He had had to change hiding spots a few times already, but the tiny space above this overstuffed closet was bound to be the last.

He practices a shape on the wall in the meantime. For some reason, when Naruto opened his scroll, there was just a boring black symbol drawn on. He's happy that Sakura told him the scroll was upside down, because he might have drawn it incorrectly. It was a "key" to something, but that was all he knew.

"He's not in here. Go down to the basement, there's a lot of hiding places there."

Refusing to move until 20 seconds had passed, Naruto finally made his way over the piles of clothing and whatnots. The room is empty, but ransacked. Girls were messy.

Opening the door, the man steps into the hallway and catches view of a shadow. It's not as large as a rabbit, and there are two of them, so he decides it's probably Sasuke and Sakura.

Whispering lowly, he says, "Believe it." There was a feminine groan. Yep, there's Sakura! "Guys, I'm over here."

When they round the corner, Naruto notices stern expressions on their faces. He's known them both long enough to understand when they've become serious. Either they had a plan, or they were about to make one.

Naruto's relieved.

"Sasuke knows where we have to go, I think." Sakura says, pulling Naruto in closely. "I'm passing over command from here on out. If we get to where we're supposed to get to…will you know what to do?"

"I should," the blond retorts. "I wasn't given a whole lot of information."

Sasuke nods and motions silently towards the opposite end of the hallway. Light on their feet, the shinobi make their way up a flight of steps with Sakura in the middle. It seems they are on the right track, because the place they enter into has only one door, and it glows a bright red.

"Maybe it's where the kidnapped men are being kept?" Naruto surmises. "No, wait. Most of them couldn't fit through that door."

Shaking her head as a shiver runs down her spine, Sakura grips Naruto's shoulder. "Maybe they don't go in in one piece."

Keeping on task, the onyx-haired Sasuke progresses onward. When his hand touches the door, it sends out an electric shock.

Lights start flashing, an incredibly loud siren blares, and the walls start closing in.

Panic flashes through Sakura. She shoves passed Sasuke and tries the door herself, but is blow to her feet by the jolt. "What do we do? What do we do?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke calls. "Think of your scroll! What do you need to do?"

Nodding quickly, Naruto draws the shape into the air. Though Sakura and Sasuke look at him with confusion, it doesn't stop him. He draws it on the floor, on both walls as they inch closer and finally by the glowing red door.

Nothing.

"Maybe you need to draw on the door!" Sakura says. "Try moving your finger quickly as soon as you touch the outside!"

"I'll try," He says, but the moment his finger presses against it, he's brought to his knees.

"We need a key," Sasuke says. "There's nowhere to put it, though."

Fumbling around her kimono, Sakura pulls forth a misshapen piece of metal. "Naruto, stick this on the door! It may hold off the electrical current long enough for you to write what you need to write!"

"Okay!"

Snatching the object, he does what is told, and to his surprise, it seems to work. Once the final line is drawn, the door opens and everything turns silent once more. Sucking in a deep breath, the three ninja quiet their pounding hearts.

"They know where we are now, so we don't have much time. I'm surprised they haven't captured us yet."

"They went to the basement, last I heard." Naruto replies. He steps his foot through the threshold without looking to see what lies beyond him. It is almost a deadly mistake.

A throng of poison-tipped arrows whip through the air, passing by Naruto's body as Sasuke flings him out of the way. "Pay attention!"

An exasperated sigh exits Sakura's mouth. "Just because we're being followed, it doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Let's go, but _please_ , like Sasuke said, pay attention!"

"I know already!" Naruto calls, stepping into the room as previously planned. He takes a slow step, testing out the area.

There is nothing in there. The floor is solid and still, as his eyes drift upwards, he sees that there are rafters and railing that is just as empty as where he entered. Turning his back on the area, he cups his hand over his mouth. "Come on in. It's safe."

And just as soon as the words leave his mouth, a canon-like boom shakes the room.


	8. Chapter 8: Sasuke's an expert in killing

_**Chapter 8: Sasuke is an expert in killing.**_

Pain explodes the left side of her face.

Air moves through her body.

So many different feelings flood her system.

Sakura things that this is the end—

—Perhaps she is right.

Life plays out before her. Forgotten memories trickle down her vision like a film reel. It's like a waterfall of moments—moments that matter to no one but the one who keeps them. Sakura sees her mother's bony hands as they twist dough into to-be-steamed buns. Her father shows her how to ride a bike, wind flows through her pigtails.

She shows off a yellowed parchment—Sakura had been accepted into Konoha's Ninja Academy.

Sakura had forgotten a lot, it seemed. At the time, none of it was very…important. Why would the smell her grandma's house carry mean anything to her? Now, as it lingers in the air, it's the best kind of medicine for the bubbles that carbonate her stomach.

Ninja who die in the line of duty are honorable. The pale-haired woman does not think of things she's not yet done—instead, she wonders if her family will make it well off without her. Mother is retired now, and her bones hurt from all of the housekeeping she used to do. Father is strong, though, and his Genin missions should be enough to keep them afloat. Her life insurance should pay out a hefty sum.

They'll be okay.

Looking down at her chest, she sees a thread coming from it. It tugs every so often, as if she is a fish that has been caught on a line. Wrapping her fingers around the golden string, Sakura pulls.

The whiteness of her soul becomes visible.

Panicking, the woman presses her fingers into the cold apparition. It's too soon to _leave._ Can't she just stay here, in this darkness forever—can't she just replay all of these happy memories?

They flow by quicker now—through Genin days with Sasuke and Naruto, and the Chunin Exams. The village is attacked, Sasuke leaves with a murderer, Naruto cannot get him back and he leaves, too.

All alone…all alone…So Sakura trains and soon she's alongside Naruto as they battle to _bring Sasuke back._ There's blood and war, **blood and war,** ** _blood_** **and** …and suddenly, there's blood all around _her_ now. Plasma, and fragments of mushy things—white chunks of bone and flesh, connected to tainted pink tendrils of hair.

 _Sakura's_ hair _._ _ **My**_ **hair** _._

Naruto rocks her, back and forth, pressing his hand over the hole in her scalp that pours warm liquid like a broken pipe. "Wake up!"

It hurts her to see him in such pain. Those blue eyes have been clouded by tragedy and loss, even before Naruto could properly open them.

This is the ninja way, however. It is filled with sadness and sorrow. Sakura knows that staying here would only leave her as a ghost, repeating the last moments of her life mindlessly and she cannot bear to see herself attend her Hokage's funeral, or watch Sasuke and Naruto leave, or deal with the screams of warfare.

There is no body for to return to…so she must go.

The thread tugs hard and she does not fight back.

* * *

"Lord Hokage, please slow down!" Kakashi's assistant calls out. Her heart-shaped bun bounces as she struggles to catch up. Ducking under his billowing robe, the woman winces as another rumble shakes the ground.

He must hurry.

"Tell me _exactly_ what has happened."

Kakashi's voice was normally emotionless and lazy. _He_ was normally emotionless and lazy. But there was no time for laziness when the lives of several exam participants were at stake. The man winces as another surge of chakra ripples through the building, causing a fissure to split the ceiling above.

The pungent aura was unsafe.

"Sakura Haruno was the first to perish in the mission." The assistant says. "Naruto was the target. She knocked him out of the way."

"They've only been there for three hours, and they've already gotten so far?"

She nods. "Isn't that to be expected? They're your pupils."

He doesn't respond, no matter how flattered.

The whole point of this mission was to make it as difficult as possible for those three, so they would finish at around the same time as other contenders. Either Team 7 didn't do the right amount of snooping that was needed, or Kakashi really _did_ have low expectations.

Rounding the final corner, the man makes his way towards Team 7's chamber. The door iis splintering, but the seal remains as solid as paper could be. Curling his fingers into hand signs, the parchment folds away and he enters the room.

The chakra regulators looked relieved to see him. They crowd around his former students—only Naruto and Sasuke are upright. They sit in a lotus position with Sakura between them, who lies prone on the cold ground as she drifts. Her eyes move swiftly under thin lids, dreaming of milk and honey and meadow frolics—whatever a mind would dream of when cut of outside stimulations.

At least one team member would perish in every team—that was the rule. The concept had come up during a discussion with the highest of Konoha Jōnin and leaders. There was _one thing_ that no one was ever prepared for in the middle of battle, and that was the death of a beloved comrade.

Loosing loved ones was simply a way of life, on and off the battlefield.

With the help of some brilliant minds, Kakashi had formed a solid first round of the Jōnin Exams. Distracting teams with a non-issue, enforcing them to rely on teamwork heavily, and offing a member right at the very end was not only tragic, but mentally devastating.

However, Kakashi hadn't expected _Sasuke_ to act like _this_.

Purple chakra flowed in a tornado-like current around the room. It's so heady, so _powerful_ that it starts to fray both Sakura and Naruto's clothing with every minute that passes by. It will soon start to eat away at their flesh, and the pain might make them break out of the exam before it's truly finished.

The walls shake as another shockwave passes through them. Kakashi is pushed back a few paces.

"Sasuke is furious." One of the regulator's says. "I don't know how much longer we can hold on."

Nodding, Kakashi removes his coat and drapes it over Sakura, who is the closest to Sasuke. He is careful not to touch her skin, lest she be interrupted from the programming. "How many of you does it take to keep them active?"

"Five at the least," A man answers, standing to face the Hokage. He is careful not to remove the wires connected to his helmet. "We can shut off the connection to the Sage Realm and just leave the castle intact."

"Do it," the Hokage commands. "Take Naruto and Sakura away from here immediately. At this rate, their bodies will deteriorate from the trauma."

"Are you sure that's the right way to go about this?" His young assistant asks, clutching a clipboard to her breast in defiance. "There is no doubt that your students should be Jōnin, but would it be unfair to the other contestants if we just…take Naruto and Sakura out?"

In times like this, Kakashi thinks like his father. He values the safety of his comrades over the mission entailed. There weren't any lives _actually_ at stake here, however. All three were under the guise that this mission could be deadly, and they knew what consequences could have awaited them. It was a Catch-22.

One thing remained as true as ever, however; it may be fake this time, but it won't always be. If worst came to worse—if Sasuke broke down and lost it, it's best that he does so in a simulation. For, there was only one person who could stop and Uchiha wrath, and at this point in time, Naruto was the only one to parry him.

"Take Sakura out for now." He says after a moment. She has no connection to the actual round anymore. "If it gets worse, if any of the other participants in the adjacent rooms start to become injured, we will have no other choice but to wake up Naruto. Until then, I need a minimum of five regulators to stay in this room. End it quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

 **Team 7**

Sasuke has seen death before. He's seen innards pulled out, limbs blown off, and all types of body fluids stain battlegrounds. There's a certain smell gore brings. It used to make his stomach heave—mostly because of it reminded him of the Uchiha compound, and all of the bodies Itachi had slaughtered. It hadn't bothered him in a long time. Not as it does now.

Placing his hands on his knees, Sasuke sucks in air as a mangled rabbit's body falls before him.

Sakura wasn't supposed to die. It wasn't in the cards for her in the grand scheme of things. Sakura was supposed to grow up and get married—have a few jade-eyed brats. There was a light in her soul that shouldn't have ever gone out.

But it did.

His body moves lightning-fast, even without chakra. The clacking of his feet as they slap against the tile is the only thing he's willing to focus on for now, lest he break—lest he think of the crumpled corpse laying against Naruto's chest.

In the rafters, more rabbit women flash into focus, looking down at the man with hands stained with their sisters' blood. Beady, dark eyes narrow and wrapped feet slide apart—they are getting into position.

"Aim true," they call out.

"Because you can't afford to miss," Sasuke retorts.

There is a row of them holding dark, wooden longbows. The powerful weapons draw back and the women point the tips of their weapons towards Sasuke's heart. He watches them all carefully, _especially_ the one in the middle, for she carries the canon that killed Sakura— ** _that killed Sakura._**

Expertly, his knives fly through the air before anyone else can release their draw. Two demonesses fall gracelessly; one still holds onto her bow. As the object clatters to the ground, Sasuke slides across the floor to retrieve it, slamming his hipbone along the concrete. Following his path are poison-tipped arrows, all meant to pierce his flesh, yet none hit their marks. They have just provided him with ammo, and for that, they will pay.

With a quick juke, Sasuke doubles back and gathers the abandoned sticks.

Although his mother taught him shurikenjutsu, Itachi taught him how to aim. He knew to keep both eyes open, to check his stance, to breathe out and _release_. His muscles strain. Aiming three arrows in his hand, Sasuke fires them all at once.

Each hit their mark.

Sasuke is an expert in killing.

And he _will_ kill.

During the one-on- _x_ battle, Naruto pulls Sakura's corpse to safety. He covers the opening of her head, holding the mush together because it was all supposed to stay inside. His eyes fill with tears and her blood, and once she curls into his arms, he allows himself to wipe away the carnage. It smears and blurs, staining his skin.

Sakura has never smelled like metal before. Her head lolls and he sees the blast. The damage is almost surreal.

During this tragedy, his mind flashes back to a time when he was younger, before he knew death. Watching children play as he wallowed in loneliness—because none of them knew what it was like to live separately from society.

At least, that's what Naruto thought.

Sakura was undeveloped, shy, and alone back then. Her hair was short—like a boy—and her wispy pink locks canopied a small, roundish face. For some reason, the little girl never quite fit in. She was a puzzle piece that was the correct color, but not the right shape. She was never the best at physical battles or throwing her kunai, but she made up for her weaknesses by being knowledgeable.

Naruto had never had a family, like Sakura and Sasuke had. He didn't know the warmth of a homemade meal prepared especially for him. He didn't know what it was like to have a birthday. He didn't know what it was like to have someone to worry about whether he was sick or eating well or taking care of himself. Everyone looked down on him, so the boy craved recognition.

Recognition would make him happy.

Sasuke had had a family, once. His mother's warm hands had tucked him into bed numerous times. His father carried him high on his shoulders during festivals. And for his 5th birthday, Itachi gave him at kunai, and promised to teach him how to use it. But, the very same caring brother that doted on Sasuke had turned murderous, and slaughtered everyone Sasuke had ever loved at that time.

Revenge would make him happy.

Sakura—sweet, shy Sakura was not like them _at all_. She did not want recognition. She had no need for revenge. The girl had simply wanted **true bonds** , and her wish was what everyone needed all along.

Family, warm beds and full bellies were bare necessities. They _needed_ friendship. The kind built by running through tree branches on hot summer mornings, chasing a cat that hated its owner. The kind blooms when their life is on your hands, and you're the only one that can save them from a dire situation.

Never giving up, never backing down, and never abandoning those _bonds_ is precisely what Team 7 had always needed. Without Sakura, there was no Team 7.

The implications were too much to think of.

* * *

Kakashi wipes the back of his hand on his forehead as listens to the feedback he is given. A man he explains the situation in full, giving detailed accounts of Sasuke's rampage. Although his eyes are open and he sees the real world, his brain and chakra connect beyond this realm. As he speaks each new bite of information, Sasuke's physical body grows more powerful, and the color of the chakra regulators skin grows pale.

"He's just killed three more."

"What of Naruto?" Kakashi asks. "Has he moved yet?"

"No, sir, he's still holding Sakura."

In the past, Naruto was the one that bloomed from adversity. He was always ready and willing to fight anyone, and anything, that dared to hurt his friends. It wasn't as though Sakura was the first comrade he's seen fall, either.

Sakura was no comrade, however—she was family. He was too innocent to understand that not everyone survived tragedy. Being Hokage was in his blood. It was Naruto's destiny. That didn't mean, however, that the power and knowledge came naturally.

This time, Sakura is alive; next time, she may not be.

The tapping at the door is unnecessary for someone of his status. Still, Shikamaru is incredibly respectful, no doubt thanks to his mother's raising. When he enters the room, Kakashi can sense annoyance wafting from him.

Shikamaru is in charge of the first ever Jōnin exams in all of Konoha. This means that everyone in the mission building now, whether they are dithering in the Sage Realm or connected to chakra devices, is under his watch and protection. The fact that Sasuke was splitting the structure and endangering everyone within the vicinity, made Shikamaru one _pissed off_ commander.

"How much longer do we have to cater to the psychopath?"

Clearing his throat, Kakashi scratches the back of his head, unable to answer.

"He's heavily injured," one of the receptors says. "But, he hasn't been slowed. I think he's moving from shear adrenalin. His speed has dramatically increased. I'm sure it won't be much longer."

Both men nod to one another.

"If Naruto's there, it should be even quicker, right?"

Kakashi responds. "Naruto isn't contributing. He is holding Sakura at the moment."

"If Naruto isn't contributing, why don't you go ahead and pull him out? It sounds like he's catatonic. Have one of the canon shoot at him—Sasuke couldn't make it in time."

Kakashi ponders this. It _would_ take Naruto some time to wake up, and he was the only one that could possibly calm Sasuke. However, Sasuke might benefit from having a little extra help when it comes to the final mistress.

What was the right choice?

Sighing heavily, the spikey-haired Jonin shifted from one foot to the other. "Look, I understand that I'm being impatient. But I've _seen_ Sasuke when he's angry."

He gets a flash of the Chunin Exams—a 12-year-old boy with purple chakra swirling around his body, pulling apart an enemies joints for bruising up his teammate. Well, not just any teammate, he guesses. Sasuke had always cared for Sakura in a way that was different from Naruto.

"Sakura's the only one that's ever stopped him. Naruto will cause a fight, and no one can afford to be caught up in that."

Wafting around the room like an unwanted smell, silence fills the air. In Kakashi's head, things click together that made no sense at all at the moment. He remembers a hospital roof battle, and two boys fighting as Sakura ran to the middle. He remembers the night Sasuke left, and how Sakura had apparently had the last contact with the boy.

Kakashi isn't dim. As much as he'd like to say he'd been involved with his team, he had always been rather distant to everyone—even when he'd become Sasuke's formal master. From the outside, Sakura was in a one-sided relationship with Sasuke Uchiha who had hung the moon.

Had there been…progressions?

Was Kakashi _that_ out of the loop?

Interrupting them suddenly, one of the regulators snaps his head up. There is a panic to his voice, and deepness in his eyes. "Sir, Sasuke has only one more adversary."

There was only one thing left to do.

"Take Naruto out, and to the infirmary."

* * *

It takes Naruto a while to notice that something isn't right.

Through the bleariness of his eyes, the man looks down at Sakura's wilting body. She isn't heavy anymore. It's almost as if she's fading—actually fading, disappearing into nothingness. He wiggles his fingers and furrows his eyebrows as they pass through what should be her skin.

Some teachers had talked about shellshock. Naruto would often hear it in the academy, through his naps. It has something to do with trauma…a trauma inside of your mind. It's finally broken after repeated abuse, and you have no other choice but to sit back helplessly as your eyes betray your head.

Naruto stands, dropping her to the ground. It sounds like he's tossed a few blankets off his bed; the quietest of thumps. His movements bring Sasuke to his attention.

"Go towards the exit," He commands. "Take Sakura with you. Go find—"

His words catch in his throat. His body freezes. A stillness flows in the air around him, ghostly solemn, as the man looks onwards at where pink and orange used to be. There is only blood—its stench, its look, and its liquid heaviness that coats Sasuke's skin in an unwelcomed layer.

A clicking sound forces Sasuke to look upwards, just as two perfectly white ears twitch in his direction. Aiming her barrel, the rabbit-woman fires another cannon's boom.

* * *

Kakashi watches, like a scarecrow. The beeping of medical equipment and the slow rumble of Sasuke's wrath teeter out by Naruto's immediate heaving, before he's even had the chance to sit upright.

Working quickly, the mousy-haired nurse catches most of his sputum in a pale-pink bucket. It wasn't unusual for the feeling of vertigo to take over one's senses. Kakashi is sure that Naruto is feeling many things right now.

This entire situation must be incredibly traumatic for him.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Kakashi speaks aloud, hoping Naruto won't be too startled. "Take a deep breath. Everything's fine."

The sound of Kakashi's voice was not pleasant in Naruto's ears. He was as toneless as ever, displaying no hint of sympathy or compassion. Anger flows through Naruto's system like the venom of a poisonous snake. It overcomes his movements, his cognitive thoughts, so much so that before he can stop himself he's already captured Lord Hokage's billowing cloak within his fist.

"Everything's " _fine"_? Everything's " _fine"_! What in the _hell_ is that supposed to mean, you ignorant fool! Sakura's dead. Sakura's dead and it's _my_ fault."

There are dancing memories behind Naruto's brilliant blue eyes. It's Sakura—Sakura with the emerald irises and the fiery, feminine attitude. Sakura, with the smart mind, the contagious laugh—the one who's skull split apart and whose brain-matter covered Naruto's hands and clothing.

"She's not alright." Naruto cried out. As soon as Kakashi's hands gripped his wrist, his knees give way, and there's nothing behind him but floor. Falling to his knees, the man crumbles.

Speaking just above a whisper, he says, "Sasuke's going to kill us."

Because the Uchiha _just might._

Sakura however, doesn't know that she's dead. She doesn't understand why there's so much _noise_ , like a yipping dog or two trashcan lids clanging together. The weightlessness from before is nothing compared to the swell of clumsy limbs, or the rush of blood flowing through thin veins. When her eyes peel open, and the brightness of a still hospital room take over all of the senses she has, there's only one thing the woman can do.

Turning habitually, Sakura spills her guts.

There are many things that Naruto would have been relieved to hear coming from a presumed-dead comrade. The tinkle of a laugh, the silky tone of her voice, and the scent of minty shampoo would have sufficed.

Nothing with Sakura was as it should be, however. Regardless, her wet throw up splashing on bleached linoleum had never sounded _so good_ to Naruto.

 **Sakura is** ** _alive!_**

Abandoning his chokehold on Kakashi, Naruto all but tackles the woman. He completely covers her head with his arms, searching for any open spots with jelly-like chunks pouring out. Paying no mind to her heaves or the sudden heavy warmth that splatters onto his ninja sandals.

 **She's alive! She's alive!**

"I'm sorry Sakura!" Naruto blubbered, rubbing his runny nose along her bare arm. She couldn't pull away. "It's my fault. I never listen to you!"

"I'm not dead?" She asks aloud, sucking in air. "I'm really not dead?"

As if on que, a final blow of energy causes all of the lights and the equipment to blackout. Backup generators power on, and Shikamaru shoves his way through the door.

"You're not out of the woods just yet."

"I can't believe you, you dirty old man!" Naruto yells as they walk through the corridor. The man could be concerning himself with other things—like the fact that chunks of foundation lie in ruin, and everyone in the mission building was close to evacuation. "You played me like a fool!"

"You _are_ a fool." He hisses back, turning to face the young adult. "What kind of ninja walks into a room, knowing they're being chased, and turns his back on the darkness?"

Naruto snaps his mouth shut—Kakashi has more to say.

"Instead of pitching a fit, you should be _thinking_ about your mistakes. You want to be the Hokage someday, don't you? There are people in this building who could be injured if we do not calm Sasuke down. _That_ should be your first priority."

Sighing, Shikamaru pushes past the bickering men. "I feel like I shouldn't have to interject at this point, but none of this is pertinent at the moment. Whether Naruto entered the room incorrectly or not, someone was destined to perish. Kakashi is right—our priority is the exam contenders, so wake him up. Not everyone can finish this mission in three hours, and the rest have a long ways to go."

Naruto lifts his head slightly. "Three hours? Don't you mean…three days?"

Neither Kakashi nor Shikamaru respond. Instead, they continue onward, unsealing a "Team 7" talisman.


	9. Chapter 9: Round One: End!

_**Chapter 9: Round One: End!**_

During his academy days, Naruto had once heard the story of the "other side". It was not heaven or hell, but simply an alternate place in which your spirit thrived. Your body lay paralyzed and abandoned while your spirit roamed around.

Death, without the commitment; sleep, without the rest—something similar to that, at least.

They see the shift in Sasuke's body. Shoulders that drooped casually, and legs folded pretzel-like before him take on a weight that shakes his very core. In moments, his spine straightens, his fists clench, and his once placid face takes on emotion that only blossoms when Sasuke is out for blood.

"Leave," Shikamaru calls towards the bystanders. It takes them seconds to throw aside their helmets and dash out of the room. Shikamaru shakes his head, not knowing whether to praise the regulators for their quick response, or denounce them as operational ninja.

Just as the door slams shut, a toxic sweep of energy spreads throughout the room. Naruto feels his skin react to the power—the hairs on his arms stand at attention and a chill runs down his back. Adrenalin pumps through his veins in waves.

Sasuke's eyes snap open.

No one mentions anything about keeping their eyes downcast, lest they find themselves captured in a powerful genjutsu. Kakashi knows the extent of Uchiha eyes, and Shikamaru is brilliant enough not to tempt fate. Naruto approaches the slowly waking man, careful not to startle.

"Hey, Sasuke"

Sasuke looks at his hands first. The fingers curl and uncurl. He does not seem weakened in the least from the vertigo of interdimensional travel. Naruto finds that to be incredibly unfair, but understandable, considering his _Rinnegan_ has the ability to transport his body when needed.

His body gives off a few noticeable reactions, however. As he untangles his limbs and removes the wires from his head, his breathing becomes more audible. It was not the out-of-breath pant of exertion and training. It was as though he was suffocating from the inside—like some mysterious force had a hold of his larynx and lungs. Shallow huffs escape his lips, they staccato in rapid successions.

The unseen pressure that drapes over Sasuke's form is familiar. It is an accumulation of emotion: guilt, sorrow, and fury, which caused his body to react in such ways. Narrowing dark, endless eyes, the man speaks. "You're not dead."

Naruto is unsure of what to say to this. He imagines Sasuke is just as confused as _he_ was when he had first awoken. He raises his hands submissively to his partner as a sign of respect. They were tiptoeing around a striking cobra. "Not yet, at least."

Sasuke does not offer any words of encouragement.

The Uchiha were cold, calculating, and ruthless people, swayed by emotions they did not understand. Such characteristics had afflicted the clan since its birth—Sasuke was not much different from his processors.

Kakashi lifts his chin, crossing his arms defensively. The pressure in the air around them had not yet let up, which could only mean one thing. Although the man was conscious enough to take control of his leaking chakra, it still rippled ominously within his gut.

They were still unsafe.

Sasuke was a peculiar type of person. Kakashi both respected, and lamented the new side of him that was so unlike the old. He had become nothing more than a traveler, who only remained bound to Konoha by the strings he'd attached to Naruto, Sakura, and on certain days, himself. He was neither a mourning sprit, nor a placid soul. He was neither good, nor bad. His loyalties were to his family and the things _important_ to that family. That was it.

As powerful and intelligent as he was there were very few things Sasuke let slide past him. He had no patience for idiocy or mistakes, (even though he was far from perfect himself). This meant that, in his half-dazed mind, there were two people at fault for Sakura's "death" that needed to experience his wrath.

Unluckily for Kakashi, Sasuke turned his gaze upon him.

* * *

Shikamaru and the others dodge a hefty wave of force, staying light on their feet as Sasuke walked towards the middle of the room. Pebbles shake and fly from his path—chairs and desks bend under his might. It was obvious that _someone_ was exponentially pissed off.

The spikey-haired Nara ground his teeth in frustration.

As acting proctor of all exams, Shikamaru had an unusually light schedule for someone of his status. The Chunin Exams occurred twice every year, and Konoha didn't always hold them. It was a nice gig. The man dutifully accepted the job as babysitter and bowed his head lowly to his superiors in response. His time filled with cloud watching, courting Temari, and he dabbled in the surveillance sector when his genius was needed.

This year, though…this year was goddamn _awful_. Not only did a random Jōnin Exam pop up out of nowhere, with little to no information or paperwork on what it entailed, but _now_ he had to watch highly-skilled ninja as they lay completely helpless while some new-age technology sent them to a far-off land for a mission that _didn't even matter_. It was utter nonsense. How this passed legislation, he'd never know.

Kakashi offered up an excuse for the council. It _was_ true that middle-ranked missions were becoming scarce. Genin had plenty of weed pulling and dog watching to do, and Jonin were busy weeding out things of their own—civilian dangers, illegal crime, that sort of thing. Chunin were stuck, and after the war, many believed they were the _perfect fit_ for a better status.

Konoha's known for its prideful people.

Now, on such a beautiful day, Shikamaru is weaving out his family jutsu, to stop a raging Sasuke from doing something he'd surely regret later. "That's as far as you'll go. Think before you act, man."

He couldn't just stand by idly. There were a hundred-and-some-odd people under his watch, (111, to be exact). Tomorrow, there would be _another_ 111, and the next day as well. Instead of going home and having time to eat a decent meal—maybe watch the sun set, he has to keep Sasuke from attacking their Hokage or their Hokage-to-be, all because Sakura's not here to cuddle the anger out of him or whatever in the hell she did.

Speaking through clenched teeth, Shikamaru speaks aloud, addressing his less-than-amused Hokage. "Where'd you store monster-fist?"

"Are you talking about Sakura?" Naruto asks. He sidesteps Sasuke, never keeping his eyes off the immobile man.

Kakashi shakes his head, talking just above a whisper. "She's not strong enough to battle Sasuke."

It was too dangerous to have her around him now, whether her "death" was the cause of his malice or not. Even as a bystander, Sakura often ended up bruised by Sasuke's hand—after all, it was only a few days ago that she was in the hospital because of him.

Instead of his normal, dutiful response, Shikamaru lets loose. "What the _hell_ does strength have to do with it?"

Bewildered, both Kakashi and Naruto look his way. It's a dangerous choice, but surprisingly, even Sasuke finds himself intrigued by the fit.

"Look, Naruto," Shikamaru begins. "Your speeches are good and all but, Sasuke's pretty much immune by now. In fact, I don't think he's ever really been swayed by 'em. Kakashi, you know as well as I do that the likelihood of Sasuke actually killing any of us right now is slim. It's not about _us._ It's about the other contenders. He doesn't _need_ a fight—whether he wants one or not."

Kakashi turns to face him fully. "What exactly does he _need_ , then?"

In that moment, Shikamaru's shadow slithers out of existence.

When Sasuke was 5, there were three men had his upmost respect: His father, his brother, and the village Hokage. Generally, the Hokage is the strongest shinobi in Konoha—that in itself warrants reverence. Sasuke, however, cared very little for titles and presumptions. He valued people differently in his own mind.

Right now, Kakashi Hatake was at the bottom tier, because Sakura was _dead_ and there was no one else that deserved his fury.

There is no need for complicated jutsu or deadly force. All the man wants to do is _punch_ him, _hurt_ him, tell him that he and Sakura and Naruto were all more than capable of becoming Jonin and this entire examination was _fucking stupid_. He does not give himself time to think about what he is doing.

Sasuke gathers the material of Kakashi's coat. Kakashi does not deny him.

Redemption is a word that means so much to Sasuke, for it is the only thing that can save him. He wants salvation. He is tired of feeling raw and despicable. There is so much _wrong_ that he's done, so much _bad_ he's committed. Decking the village chief would not heal any part of his soul, and yet, he's blind to the fact.

Sakura…Sakura had never been the strong one. From what little he remembered of her in the academy, she was horrible at shurikenjutsu, below average at ninjutsu, and excelled in academics only. Teaming up with her and Naruto felt like a death sentence at first. Sasuke didn't think he'd get _anywhere_ with those two by his side.

Yet, the blossom surprised him—continuously.

She did not just speak with fluffy words. Her admiration and fervor was more than just skin-deep. If she said something, she meant it. If she did something, she gave it her all. Sakura wasn't clumsy and spontaneous like Naruto. She was cool, calm and collected.

The strangest thing about Sakura was that, although she gave off a fragile-feminine vibe, she was more of a tomboy than her hair would suggest. Sasuke liked that she had so many surprises wrapped up in that tiny body. You never knew what to expect.

As of late, Sasuke found himself despising her presence—and not by any fault of her own. His disgust stemmed from his actions. _His_ hand on _her_ throat, _his_ sword aimed in _her_ direction, his vile hatred towards the girl that never did anything more but love him wholeheartedly.

Sasuke was guilty. There is a cold feeling within chest, as if someone has rubbed spearmint in his throat—a burning cold that will take… _something different_ to heal him.

He did not know what would make him feel better—he did not know if he would _ever_ feel better. Sasuke, however, **did** know his body craved destruction for now…and he so easily caved in.

* * *

Naruto had been gone for 10 minutes. 10 minutes and the terrible, awful feeling that churned in the pit of Sakura's stomach had yet to recede.

The terrycloth sheets that cling to her body are fresh, but they smell of bleach and chemicals. Sakura knows her hospital well enough to recognize that the bedding belongs to Ward 3, where they house enemy ninja who are in dire need of medical help. It is not a cloth meant to bring comfort. It is not a welcoming texture.

It does nothing to appease her trepidation.

The nurse's assistant beside her changes the pillowcase with shaking hands. It wasn't every day that someone worked on their superior, after all. Tucking linin and making beds has its own degree of complexity to it. Wrinkles caused more friction on the skin, and bedsores were hard to get rid of. Her nervousness is not lost on Sakura.

As understandable as it was, Sakura wished her nurse were calmer.

Suddenly, without knocking, five men shoulder their way through the doors, heading towards abandoned cots. They look completely drained and exhausted, even as they talk amongst themselves. Something must have happened.

Sakura swings her legs over the edge of the bed as the nurse checks their vital signs and chakra pressure, making sure that no one immediate medical attention. Each one has an elevated blood pressure, low oxygen, and a slight fever. It is a telltale sign that they've been terrified.

Without realizing it, Sakura has made her way to the men. Although she is not at full strength, she still manages to stand up tall and give off an air of superiority. Fighting back the strain in her voice, she asks, "What was going on when you left?"

It takes a moment for any of them to answer. Looking between each other, the men finally offer up a sacrifice. A balding, middle-aged man with a gruff, unkind voice explains. "The Uchiha was waking up. We all dispersed before we could get captured in his doujutsu."

That was smart on their part. "Is that all?"

"That's all…for now."

Making her choice, Sakura decides to abandon her cot and see the situation unfold for herself.

* * *

It is a strange feeling to wake up after dying. Kakashi had said that it shouldn't have been an unpleasant or painful experience, but it seems as though Sakura's mind decided to handle things differently. **Inner Sakura** had been a dormant part of her body for a very long time, and parts of her had simply submerged with Sakura altogether. She was not as strong as she used to be. However, it seemed that, when Sakura had no control, her subconscious decided to take over.

It was a bizarre realization…and, an unimportant one.

With legs that felt like jelly, and joints that ached with every movement, Sakura followed the sound of falling objects until she made it to an unopened door with a broken seal. She does not knock, and does not make her presence known.

She simply enters.

Half expecting to see Naruto wrapped around Sasuke's fist, Sakura is utterly shocked to find that Kakashi's captured instead.

Magnetism. That is the only word that Sakura can find within her vast personal dictionary that could describe the _draw_ she had towards Sasuke. It was as though gravity pulled her to him, and she rocked against an asteroid belt of hurt and anger until she landed upon his surface.

For a moment, all Sasuke can see is Kakashi, and in the next, pink tendrils and stained-glass eyes and warm, thin arms swallow him completely. There's not enough oxygen for him to take in.

Pressing her cheek into a faded uchiwa insignia, Sakura digs into his midsection with filed-down nails. "What are you doing?"

 _Please, don't._

 _Please._

Sasuke does not breathe. Instead, he turns, giving Sakura a full view of his piercing, mismatched eyes. To Sakura, they are terrifying in concept. There's so much trauma he can cause by simply capturing her in a never-ending nightmare—one so dark that he could turn her very brain to mush.

Yet, the woman stands her ground and captures him in her spider-web gaze.

"What are you doing?" She finds herself asking again. But…she knows. She knows that he is ready and willing to split the Hokage's lip. She knows that Sasuke has no hesitations in doing so. Instead, she says, "You can't hurt him. I won't let you."

Sasuke _can_ though. There's nothing stopping him but a woman who couldn't weigh more than 100 lbs. sopping wet. Sakura wasn't strong enough to stop him. Sakura wasn't powerful enough to sway him. Sakura wasn't…

She's not dead.

Like hot water on a pillar of salt, the room and its inhabitants dissolve. Sasuke sees nothing but Sakura. He soaks in every blemish, every curve her flesh offered as her fingers gathered the fabric of his black t-shirt. Uchiha eyes remember everything—like the off-white sunspots that dot just below Sakura's eyes, and the reflective speckles of gold and silver that dance around a pool-like pupil.

As they parry one-another's gazes, reality slaps Sasuke back into focus in the form of Sakura's buckling knees. Sakura flails her arms out and slams her face into Sasuke's chest. He's quick to capture her bent elbows and keep her from tripping to the floor beneath them.

The floor—the room—the three elite ninja that surround him at that very moment—they'd all seen him at his weakest. For the first time since Sasuke was a child, he had let his guard down.

Dark, masculine eyebrows furrow in disbelief and disgust.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Naruto asks. He comes to her aide quickly, and Sasuke all but pushes her towards him. It's too loud in here now. The eyes of Kakashi, Shikamaru, Naruto and Sakura are all too heavy. The constant, low ringing pitch that hummed in his mind had become _too loud_ , _too blindingly loud_ for Sasuke to concentrate on anything but escape.

Grabbing the cloth above where his heart lay, Sasuke fought back the overwhelming feeling of revulsion. He had been so _out of it_. Engulfed by Sakura's safety and presence, he'd forgotten where and _who_ he was.

Sasuke Uchiha could not afford to let his guard down again.

Sasuke Uchiha could not get close to Sakura.

He couldn't lose her, either.

He didn't know _what_ to do.

"I'm fine, Naruto." The woman says quickly, taking a step away from him. She reaches out towards Sasuke and her hand stills when he speaks.

"You should have died." He says, letting the words seep from his overstimulated mind. "I thought you did."

Biting her lips, she quietly responds. "I hate have disappointed you, then."

It's too late, for he's already disappeared.

* * *

It was uncommon for Sakura to be gone from her office for more than a few days. There was always paperwork that needed filing, admissions to accept or deny, and one little cozy corner that was perfect for serious studying.

Sometimes, Sakura wishes she were like her mother. When that blonde-haired woman stressed, she'd clean the entire house from top to bottom, removing all of her knick-knacks and trinkets, soaking them in sink water, and finally catch up on months' worth of laundry. Sakura had learned from a young age that if she needed certain things clean or done, she'd have to do it herself. She also learned that cleaning your home was a lot harder than she always thought it would be.

Therefore, Sakura is not like her mother. When stressed, she escapes to her office and falls into huge stacks of important paperwork. Sometimes, when the filing cabinets offered her no solace and her head felt like it was going to explode, she found herself in the emergency room, pouring chakra into civilian and ninja alike.

Sinking into her chair, the woman stares out at the bustling, scenic view of Konoha. On the dark side of town, covered by new soil and buildings-to-be, the ruined grounds of the Uchiha compound hide.

Drawing swirls into the margin of a thick pamphlet, the woman falls into yet another proposal by the city council. They wish to disband the therapy unit and merge with the hospital. "Utilize empty hospital rooms, huh?" She says aloud.

"I told them not to bother you with that one," Kakashi says. He stands in the threshold of her office, raising his knuckle to the doorframe. "Sorry for intruding. I noticed your light was on."

"If you're going to chide be about resting, you're barking up the wrong tree."

He holds both hands up in submission. "I actually come in peace…and curiosity."

This piques Sakura's interest.

Long ago, when she was just a girl training under Tsunade, she'd realized that Kakashi had never been too involved with her. It wouldn't be fair to act as though she was the only one he ignored—Naruto was bolder at calling the man out. Still, Sakura knew that Kakashi did not connect with Sakura in the same way he did with Sasuke. Looking back, Sakura wishes that the bond between master and student had been stronger, because if it had, perhaps Sasuke wouldn't have felt the need to search elsewhere for power.

Still, whether it was simple chatting or her improvement as a kunoichi, Kakashi Hatake never bothered with either. Stepping into her workplace randomly, so late in the night, must mean something rather heavy weighed on his mind.

"Don't sit on the green chair," she warns. It is normally where nurses direct the ill. Although sterilized daily, she often directs comrades to its twin blue seat.

An awkward aura soaks up the air, making it difficult for Sakura to concentrate. Flipping through her documents, she waits busily for the Hokage to break his silence and speak his mind.

"Were you and Sasuke a couple?"

 _That,_ however, was not what she had expected.

Saliva, swallowed incorrectly, causes Sakura to cover her mouth as she chokes on spit and embarrassment. Turning red from lack of air and mortification, the woman stands up and nearly spills her warm cup of tea.

Sipping the hot liquid, Kakashi gives her time to calm down and reposition her papers. She shakes her head. "We certainly weren't. Where is this coming from?"

"Shikamaru enlightened me on some details of the Chunin exams. It seems as though, when Sasuke acquired to the Cursed Seal of Heaven mark, _you_ aided in calming his rampage. "

Sakura does not even blink. "That is the cause of your assumption?" If it was, it was an asinine theory.

"I had no knowledge of something like that happening."

"This feels like a lecture."

"It's certainly not."

Kakashi could admit that he was…perhaps…not the best at speaking to Sakura of such matters. First impressions always stuck hard in one's mind. The person before her had grown out of her shell—she was not doe-eyed, giggly, and terrified of battle any longer.

Scratching his head, the man shifts uncomfortably in the suede chair. "I would like to apologize to you."

This revelation warrants Sakura's full attention.

"As you sensei, I don't feel like I was there for any of you like I should have been. I know I could have done more. I often told you not to worry about what was going on in regards to Sasuke, but it seems that you knew more of what was plaguing him than both Naruto and me. I kept you out of the loop—with Naruto as well."

"No one could have guessed that he would have truly left. I'm old enough now to know that the mysteries surrounding both Naruto and Sasuke weren't any of my business, and certainly weren't in my jurisdiction. It would have been nice to learn as much from you as I could, but I'd say Tsunade has taught me well."

Sakura offers him a smile. From the way his eyes crinkle, she can tell he's returned it. "For what it's worth, as Hokage, I would have raised your rank immediately after the war if the council would have allowed it."

"Too many people would cry foul due to favoritism. Still, you'd think the fact that Naruto, Sasuke and I sealed the Goddess of _all chakra_ should be more than enough proof."

"It is for me."

Curling her fingers around the lukewarm cup in her hands, Sakura glances beyond Kakashi's shoulder. Nurses shuffle by, moving as quickly as they can towards the emergency room. It seems as though tonight is a bit busier than normal.

"How much longer will it take the other participants to finish their rounds?" Sakura asks as she stands. She makes her way to her bookshelf, where she keeps her personal linen and coverings. These don't smell like chemicals, nor do they sting your eyes.

"For now, I'm not sure. I'll relay that information to you as quickly as possible."

Wrapping a gown around her midsection, she nods hastily and comes up to his side. Her eyes are determined and fierce. Her lips press into a straight line. She hugs both elbows to her chest, looking up at her former teacher, and her current Hokage.

"Thank you for speaking with me."

As she grows older, Sakura realizes that loose ends of her past are knotting together. It is getting easier to achieve her goals—her progressions are moving at a workable pace. She has pride in what she does. She has pride in the connections she's created.

Turning away, Sakura calls down the hallway to the staff, listening intently on the status of the emergency attendants. She spends the rest of her night healing, getting lost in the anatomy of the human bodies that lay before her.

Time passes by much quicker this way.


	10. Chapter 10: The Haruno Battleaxe

_**Chapter 10: The Haruno Battleaxe**_

Rain smelled like…a fresh start. April rains were the best of all, because they provided the nourishment for the flowers to bloom in May. On days like these, Sakura opens up all of her windows and spreads out on the floor of her living room, listening to the drops as they ricochet from her tin roof.

As she inhales, there are two gentle taps on her front door.

Sakura toes her way around the corner, habitually flattening the back of her hair so she looks kempt. Before she has a chance to greet her guests, the door flies open and Naruto makes his way inside.

"Yo, I'm starving. Got any ramen?"

"Well, hello to you, too?"

Ignoring the woman completely, Naruto abandons his shoes in the foyer and makes his way to the kitchen to raid her pantry. His wife, however, remains outside on the porch until invited in.

Hinata was such a doll.

"Come in," Sakura says, smiling at the gentle woman. "I'll grab your coat. I hope you didn't get too wet coming all this way! What's the occasion?"

Sakura had always adored the white-eyed princess. She was beautiful, with a unique, bubbly sort of personality once you broke through her casing. The Hyuuga was kind and patient and understanding, which was a trait found very rarely in the ninja world.

We thought you would like some company. Naruto and I get lonely when we're cooped up."

"It's not that I want to _always_ be outside or visit people," He explains, making his way to the small living room. "It's just that I get antsy after a while, ya know?"

As soon as Hinata sits down, Naruto is upon her. He swings his legs over the armrest of the chair and plants his entire weight on his wife's small frame.

By now, the Hyuuga is used to such odd displays.

"Why does it sound like you're making up an excuse?" Sakura asks as she tucks Hinata's jacket in her over-stuffed closet.

"Maybe I am. You've been holed up at the hospital for the past week."

Sakura curls up on her couch and gathers her cold tea, becoming lost in thought.

It had already been an entire week since the end of the first exam. The thousand-and-some-odd applicants had certainly narrowed into a smaller number—whether because of mission failure or simply dropping out. The scroll they'd received during their meeting with Kakashi said the second round would involve a group of two.

 _If you do not have a teammate, we will appoint one to you._

Sakura hides her emotions into her cup. "You and Hinata are participating together, right?

"We are," Hinata confirmed, shifting as Naruto leaned into her warmth. Such blatant passions normally caused her pale skin to flush red. Naruto, however, did not have human contact for the majority of his life. He was clingy and warm—he was hard to reject.

"We should all train together beforehand—I know I could really use some practice. Let's make a day of it!"

Naruto lifts his head, shooting narrowed eyes towards the woman. "Who are you going to fight with? I doubt you've asked Sasuke yet."

"Don't tease me."

His hears didn't quite catch the warning tone of her voice. "Don't worry, Sakura. I can ask him for you."

If she were honest, Sakura wasn't quite ready to face Sasuke yet. Never in a million years would she have thought that when Sasuke came back home, she'd purposely avoid him.

It wasn't as if he walked around town all of the time, or frequented the hospital. During this entire week, Sakura had only had the opportunity so see him _once_ , and she sent Ino to file his paperwork instead.

"I don't want you to ask him. Just leave him be."

"I want us all to train together again." The man interjects. "I mean all of us—his stupid ex-teammates, you, me, Hinata. If you don't want to pair up with him for the next round, fine, I don't blame you. But…at least come to the training grounds tomorrow."

It was too late to say anything but, "Okay."

* * *

Sakura had been the first to arrive. Old habits die hard—for her, anyways. Because of this punctuality, the kunoichi had earned respect and trust amongst her peers and patients.

She laughs to herself, wondering how different she would have been under Kakashi's teaching.

Arriving only minutes later, Hinata floats along with Naruto attached to her hand. There were all sorts of bundles and bags connected to her husband—everything from a checkered lunchbox, to wooden handles and shiny, unknown weapons. When she offers Sakura a wave and a few kind words, the kunoichi abandons the shade tree and meets them halfway.

"That's a pretty big lunchbox," She says, taking a bag from Naruto. A longbow falls out and clatters to the ground.

"Yes, I thought it would be a nice day for a picnic."

The smell of food suddenly invades Sakura's nostrils. Breathing in and closing her eyes, the woman praises Hinata. "You're such an incredible homemaker. You even get Naruto to show up to places timely! I don't know how you do it."

Naruto snatches up his longbow and rolls his eyes. "You're going to be doing the same thing for your husband someday."

"As if,"

 _As if_ , because that possibility was not in the cards for someone like her. Sakura was destined to slave away in her office, answer late-night messages, run to the hospital at the drop of a hat. On top of that, she was still a working kunoichi, called frequently for aide.

Soon, she'd be a Jonin and start her Children's Medical Clinic. Maybe she'd take on a few Genin teams as well.

With all this, on the odd chance that her busy lifestyle was compatible with another civilians or ninjas, there was still the fact that she was deeply in love with Sasuke Uchiha. _That alone_ made her incompatible for anything but a shallow, meaningless relationship.

Let's say, however, that all of the starts came to align in Sakura's favor. Let's say that Sasuke Uchiha reconsidered, and decided he could be with someone as busy and maniacal as her…

Her barrenness would be a deal breaker.

Snapping his fingers in front of Sakura's face, the Jinchuuriki repeated his question once more. "Are you going to ask Sasuke to help you with your axe?"

It wasn't like Sakura to ignore his questions, especially if Sasuke was involved. Slowly, the dazed look that encompassed her face vanished and a sullen form. She blew her bangs from her forehead and huffed loudly. "I shouldn't bother. I'm almost positive he'd say "no". He's probably still pissed that I didn't die in the first round like he'd thought."

Naruto scanned her. He looked beyond Sakura's outward attitude and into the recesses of her heart, where emotions like anger and confusion rolled around in a hazy ball.

Sakura had always taken pride in her appearance. Today, though, she was in an oversized sweater that had once belonged to her father. The tight, black shorts she normally hid under a slit-side skirt disappeared under the shirts long hem. Pink hair gathered into a messy ball atop her head. A dark color stained the flesh under her eyes.

"Did something happen at the hospital?"

"Are you suggesting I look bad?"

Hinata's eyebrows rise and she turns her head towards her husband. It's a subtle gesture—one that does not seem intimidating on the outside. However, those white-eyes ooze warning, and Naruto can't help but to gulp. "N-No, that's not what I meant. It's just…you don't look like you're dressed for training. You don't have your axe. You don't even have your axe. I figured you…woke up late."

"I did."

That wasn't true.

Sakura had actually woken up rather early. She'd skipped the shower, breakfast, and ninja clothing because her great-grandmother always fed her, and hated how stuffy shinobi dressed "these days".

 _"_ _You shouldn't have to put a bra on until at least sunrise,"_ the woman would bark. _"I want you to be comfortable in my house!"_

Sakura did just that. At her great-grandmothers coffee table, eating dry toast and sipping mint tea, the skilled medical shinobi listened as the elder weaved stories about the Haruno tribe, and their unique mastery of summoning weapons.

The downside to this was that Great-Grandma Haruno _loved_ to speak about their family axe. So much so, that by the time her story finished, Sakura didn't even have her proper equipment or attire.

Nevertheless, she was early.

Before Hinata could change the subject, Team Taka arrived. From the outside, they might have looked like a gang of missing nin, what with their scary demeanors and rough looks. The truth was that they were _ex-_ missing nin, and even though they could kill you, they probably wouldn't.

Suigetsu and Jugo greeted the three first with an upbeat hello. Well, as upbeat as Jugo could get…and by "hello", Sakura means that Suigetsu smiled and then proceeded to mock the rosette's attire.

"How am I going to fight you when you look like that? I'd rather just cuddle."

Sakura crossed her arms and took a step back, keeping a respectable distance. She held Team Taka with high regard because of Sasuke. She was leery of their intentions, however…especially when it came to Suigetsu, who was just as devious as he was flirty.

"Don't be silly. Sasuke wouldn't allow that."

Sasuke does not seem interested in their conversation in the least. In fact, he is so uninterested that giving them the time of day does not even register in his head. He looks at Naruto's weapons pile on the floor in front of him and nudges a nunchaku. "What are all of these for?"

Naruto replies. "You're going to teach me how to use them. That way if I don't have any chakra, I can pick up my enemies sword and stab 'em with it."

Suigetsu ignores the men's banter, and walks around Sakura slowly, as if he were a predator. "He wouldn't allow cuddles, or fighting?"

"The fighting," Sakura responds wearily, closing her eyes. "I'm just a healer, after all."

Although Naruto carries on a completely different conversation, he still picks up the chat beside him. He is not as idiotic as people peg him to be—even though he'd missed the fact that Hinata had liked him an entire 8 years before he took notice.

Even with all of Naruto's jadedness, he'd still managed to notice the sour attitude she displayed. It also didn't take a genius to figure out where she sent it.

Suigetsu laughs and throws his arm around Sakura's shoulder, glancing sideways at Sasuke. "Don't listen to that guy. I'll fight with you any day. We can do it over here," He begins, pointing to the training ground. Then, he turns a bit, gesturing towards a shade tree. "We can do it over there…"

"She'll pass," Naruto interjects.

To his surprise, Karin pops up beside him and swings towards her partner powerfully. Like ocean fizz, Suigetsu's face explodes. "You didn't come here to try to get into her pants!"

"How do you know what I came here to do? She's not wearing pants, anyways, so back off."

Interrupting them all, Sasuke steps towards the group, letting his even, monotone voice spread out warningly. "Enough. Whether you do or don't train matters very little to me." He begins, moving from face to face. When he catches Sakura's gaze—her hard, determined look—he narrows his eyes right back.

The magnetism Sakura felt before seemed to have a repelling effect as of late.

* * *

The familiar sound of upturned earth causes Sakura to look towards Suigetsu, who sparred with Jugo roughly. Their battle was choreographed, probably because they had trained with each other repeatedly. Their battle style and moves had become second nature to one another. Each hit and block was expertly timed, and uninteresting to look at.

Sakura tapped her feet, trying to appease her itch.

Sitting underneath an oak, the three women awkwardly gathered in a circle and stared away from each other. Refusing to look in Sasuke's direction, uninterested in Hinata's careful meal preparation, and utterly bored with Suigetsu and Jugo's battle, the woman was stuck in a hard place.

It was too hot to sit by idly.

"You look pretty pissed off, kid." Karin says, rubbing a red tendril between her thumb and index. "Don't tell me you actually expected Sasuke to entertain you, earlier."

Sakura turned her head, sending the woman a smoldering look.

Karin was beautiful in every sense of the word. Her hair was spikey and untamed on one side, in a way that reminded Sakura of Naruto's own locks. Apparently, somewhere down the line, this woman was related to Naruto's mother, and that's where the red hair had come from. Everything about this woman screamed " _sex appeal"_ and confidence—Sakura was the exact opposite.

"What would you know about Sasuke?" Sakura responds.

The Uzumaki woman sits up straighter, stealing an apple slice from Hinata's basket.

Karin knew a lot of Sasuke. She knew everything from his nightmares and his sexual affairs, to how many times he swept his toothbrush back-and-forth morning and night. Sakura may have known the _old_ Sasuke, but she didn't know the new one.

"Everything,"

"That's unlikely." Sakura mumbles, turning towards Sasuke before Karin has a chance to respond.

Sasuke uses his foot to spread out Naruto's stance as he corrects the man's position for the umpteenth time. They practiced on the longbow for now, which was not an easy weapon to master.

From the outside, Sasuke looked annoyed. He reiterated phrases that Sakura had already memorized from eavesdropping—"Pull back harder on the shaft. Keep both eyes open when you aim." Yet, even as his frustration peaked, he never once walked away.

Helping Naruto learn something new was a difficult task. It is not something anyone would readily agree to. Although names were called and curses were spit, Sasuke refused to give up.

He was not the boy Sakura knew, or the teenager Karin identified him as. "The real Sasuke hasn't graced us with his presence, yet."

For as long as Sakura can remember, Sasuke was cursed. He was polluted with hatred and malice that ate his soul alive. Team 7 had started to heal him. Sasuke was still reserved and easily bothered, but he wasn't _lonely_. Sakura, Naruto, and even _Kakashi_ had become precious people to him. People he could not stand to see get hurt.

It is none of Hinata or Karin's business, but Sakura cannot help to share. There comes a point in life when everything bubbles up to the rim of your heart, and overflows in the strangest of times.

"On our first mission together outside of the village, we encountered two missing nin from the Land of Waves. I was so by the book that my first rehearsed instinct was to protect our client. Sasuke's first instinct was to stop _them_.

"He was amazing, Karin—Sasuke was shorter than most of our opponents, so he'd literally have to jump up and punch people in the face. Still, I thought that bow was _perfect._ He was _invincible_. Everything was fine until Orochimaru came along."

At this point, Sakura turns back into the group. She keeps her eyes downcast and curls her knees up to her chest, as if she needs protection from the memories.

"Our Chunin exams weren't easy. We were a group of 12-year-olds facing a Sanin. Now that I look back, I know he could have killed us all. Orochimaru is paying for his crimes now, but that doesn't mean I can forget what he'd done so easily. I will forgive, but I won't forget.

"I thought Sasuke was dead. He screamed and threw up and held my hand so tightly, I actually fractured my knuckles—when he passed out from the pain I was left alone. I was weak. I didn't know the first thing about healing anyone."

Karin knows that forest well. She had participated in those same exams, with her own teammates. When she'd gotten lost, the very same Sasuke saved her from a wild bear. He had kind eyes. He had a smile that Karin yearned to see.

Looking at Sasuke, she heightens her senses and looks deep within, to the chakra spreading around his core. It wasn't bright and warm like Naruto's, but it wasn't as terrifying as it used to be, either. It was fuzzy, purple, and…damaged. He was healing. He wasn't _healed._

"You feel it, don't you?" Sakura says, and Karin is almost surprised by the revelation. It seems as though Sakura, who does not have any innate sensing abilities, could tell exactly what was going on within her partner. "There's a darkness inside of him that doesn't belong. I remember the day it formed—it spread out around his body like poison."

Hinata sets her knife down and rolls an apple core around her palm, listening quietly.

Unable to fight her curiosity, Karin questions Sakura. "How do _you_ know what's inside of him? If you could truly feel it, you would run towards him so haphazardly when he's pissed off. You'd be more mindful of your distance."

"I'm not afraid of Sasuke—no matter what we've been through." She responds. Standing up so quickly that her blood takes a moment to settle, the woman raised her first into the air. "He can aim his sword, raise his hand, and capture me in genjutsu all he wants. I won't give up on him. I won't let him sway me."

Protecting her bento from the movement, Hinata nods her head excitedly.

"I don't want to sit here, waiting for someone to get hurt!" the woman exclaims, causing Karin's eyebrows to rise. "I don't want to sit under this damn tree any longer! I want to train; I want to pass these exams!"

"S-so what are you telling me for?" The redhead responds. She picks up the apple core and chunks it at Sakura's head; it plops to the ground after impact. "I'm not going to spar with you again!"

There was only one thing left for Sakura to do, then, and that was to confront Sasuke. Sucking in air and determination, the kunoichi made her way.

* * *

Few things in life that terrified Naruto—after all, he'd battled against a Goddess. There have been demons and humans alike that have dared to confront the Uzumaki, many of which lost painfully. This strong, tall man had strength and stamina.

With all this, he _still_ was not stupid enough to confront an irate Sakura. Sure, she looked like a bunny, but she _hit_ like a _fucking_ train.

When the wind around he and Sasuke shifted, and a chill ran up his back, Naruto knew that there was only one person who could cause such a shift in pressure. Crunching her sandals on the hard-packed earth, Sakura neared.

"I've had enough," she says to Sasuke, who looks unamused. "I want to fight someone."

"No,"

Sasuke's words were simple enough. No, Sakura was not going to fight anyone—she was not going to spar against Naruto who still had his bouts of insanity. She was not going to fight Jugo, who was insanity itself. She was not going to fight Suigetsu, who either played with his food or devoured it whole.

Sakura won't fight—Sakura won't get hurt.

"I didn't ask a question," the kunoichi spit.

Two default modes belonged to Sasuke in these situations. He could retort with dry annoyance, or he could assert himself headily. Within his brain lay millions of words and phrases that could tear down even the coldest of human beings.

He did not use mean degradations. He used true ones.

"You will fight," he begins, stepping towards her with deep rumble. "With no weapon, no ninja tools— you will fight without protection, in clothing you sleep in?" He scoffs. "What will you battle, Sakura, a nightmare?"

Echoing his point, the man gathers the material of her sweatshirt and lifts, exposing the blackness of her shorts. Sakura does not yelp or act surprised in the least, and instead, she slaps his hand away.

Sakura had spoken down to Sasuke once, when she'd called him a coward during his fight with Orochimaru. It was not meant to hurt him, it was meant to _encourage_ him—because Sasuke was _amazing_ and everything a shinobi should be.

Sakura Haruno defended his character to nosy civilians. She had his back when Naruto started silly, immature arguments in their youth (whether they were warranted or not). She had protected his name, and his clans name to everyone—her parents, her friends, her teachers—because even in his worst moments of foolishness, **Sasuke was still** ** _Sasuke_** **, and he was a** ** _good_** **man**. He deserved respect. The same respect _she_ deserved.

There was a silence. Sakura was the calm before a storm, positioning her rampage on a boat that dared to ride the waves of her ocean. Two dominant wolves battled each other with piercing eyes and bared teeth. Sakura steps back, bites away the flesh on her thumb, and slides her blood across her wrist.

The Haruno battleax has been summoned.

"Uh," Naruto stumbles over his words, eyeing the strange object. "What is _that_?"

Sasuke slides his uncovered eye to the weapon. The axe was decorated gaudily from previous wars, and adorned with chains and bangles. A swirl was of red discolored the thick metal, flacking off on the edges as though it were blood and not paint.

The argument brought Suigetsu over, and Jugo followed dutifully. It was beginning to thrill him, being around the petal-pink girl. She was tough and resilient and, most importantly, she talked back to the chief.

As much as Suigetsu liked Sasuke, it was always fun to see him flustered.

"It's a conjuring," Sasuke explained to Naruto. "Long ago, weapons were used by female demon slayers to fight summoning monsters."

"Why would you want to fight them?" Suigetsu says, looking at the object. "Animals are wonderful…"

"They weren't always obedient."

Sakura has heard all of this before. Actually, her great-grandmother had told her the stories only hours ago, but she did not want to waste time chitchatting about its prowess. The old Haruno woman was not capable of teaching Sakura anything more than how to acquire the weapon.

It was Sakura's job to figure out how to use it.

"I see you're well-versed in the object," the kunoichi begins. "That's good, because _you're_ the one I want to practice on."

Really, Suigetsu couldn't help it. Watching this woman speak and conduct herself was like sitting in a cinema, stuffing popcorn into your craw. The longer the movie played, the more drama was introduced. Suigetsu can't decide if this is a romance, a comedy, a thriller anymore. Laughing loud enough to draw attention to himself, the man crosses his arms.

"I'd love to see that."

"There's nothing to see," Sasuke responds, turning away. He's had just about enough bickering for the day. There was no point in staying here if all it brought was arguments.

Just as he tucks his hands into his pockets, he feels a pressure on his back. Shoving him roughly, Sakura growls out her frustrations. "Are you scared, scaredy-cat?"

If there was anyone in the world who did not like to be taunted more than Naruto, it was Sasuke Uchiha.

"What do I have to be scared of?"

"I dunno," Suigetsu says with a cackle. "This thing looks pretty sharp."

Then, it happens. Aiming his finger towards the axe's curved blade, the man presses his flesh against the knife-edge, and a jolt of electricity rocks his core so violently that he turns into a soggy puddle.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?" Naruto blurts out.

"Exactly what was supposed to happen," Sasuke says. "That weapon cannot cut through human flesh, but it utilizes your chakra nature weakness and throws it back at you, full force."

Gargling, Suigetsu tries to respond. Jugo, who is the closest to the wet patch, translates. "He says, "That would have been nice to know before I touched the dam—darn thing."

"Too late for that now, fish-face," The Jinchuuriki guffaws. "What would it hit me with if I touched it?"

"Fire," The Uchiha snaps.

Ignoring his temper, Naruto pulls out another question. "So, because you have two types…it would use both of your weaknesses?"

"That's what I want to find out." Sakura heaves the blade over her shoulder, standing up to her full, underwhelming height. "I was going to ask you for help, but now, I guess it's your choice whether to dodge or not."

Sasuke frowns.

In the Uchiha clan, most women were docile and obedient. He had learned, however, that the least compliant women were the ones who made it the furthest. Neither Sasuke nor Itachi agreed to the normal teachings of their family. Being around Sakura, who fought as a warrior no matter her gender, was breathtaking. The only thing that hindered her was herself.

There are similarities in his own mother.

The problem with Sakura was that she was not trained to be first-hit fighter. It was not her job. Healers were the backup, the final effort to maintain a well-rounded playing field. Sakura's role was to keep her teammates alive long enough so swinging those powerful fists became moot.

This woman was infuriating and headstrong—perhaps that is why she's almost lost her life more times that Sasuke could count.

If she wanted a fight, then she would get one. It would not be with Sasuke, however.


	11. Chapter 11: I don't love you

_**Chapter 11: I don't love you.**_

Jugo looks at the fragile thing before him.

With a round, smiling face and slender limbs, it looked impossible for Sakura to be pithy. Sasuke had warned him of her strength, however. Hidden away in that oversized sweater was coiled muscle, ready to be enhanced with precise chakra control. The boss told him not to underestimate her, so he mustn't.

Shooing away the bird atop his shoulders, the massive man adjusts his stance.

"Thank you for doing this," the woman begins. The voice that rolls from her mouth sounds like music. It belongs to nature, to forest animals that search for lovers with their tunes. "Let's have a good match."

"Yes," Jugo agrees.

Attacking first, Sakura slams her fist into the space where Jugo's head was. Her speed was beyond what his mind had deduced. It was not quite as fast as Sasuke's or Naruto's, but the strike of her hand surprised him nonetheless. He dodges as nimbly as possible, ducking low, aiming to capture her body and toss her out of his proximity.

When her two dainty hands grip his shoulders instead, Jugo is not sure what to think.

Karin watches in awe as Sakura grasps the man below her and falls forward in a front-flip. Somehow, the weight of her body offers enough substance to propel Jugo backwards and pound him into the ground forcefully.

She is agile and cat-like, landing on the tips of her toes. The lioness crouches down into the plumes of dirt his body has rocked up, dancing from left to right foot.

Chancing a glance at Sasuke, Karin is both surprised and flustered that he watches their spar diligently. Jealousy is a disgusting feeling, but a natural one. The redhead knows better than to entertain herself with thoughts of romance between someone like him. Still, the heat his body gave off exited her spirit. If heart spoke for her, it would say that Sasuke's smile was enough to save her from an eternity of drowning darkness. It would say that true love could conquer all, even one-sided affections.

Her head screams, though, and it tells her to run as far and as fast as she can.

"He looks angry," Hinata says, raising her hand towards her mouth. "Will Sakura be alright?"

It does not take a genius to deduce Jugo's frustration. Just as soon as he pulls himself up from the crater, his flesh is pelted by thick slivers of wood from the tree Sakura's smashed him with. She does not stop her onslaught, weaving through his limbs like a slipper little viper.

"Of course she will, believe it!"

Every punch he swings, every kick he throws results in nothing but empty air or unforgiving soil. His rage is peaking, and Sakura feels it. His moves become less and less rehearsed, taking the form of flails and flounders. The softness of his grunts turns gravelly. The skin stretched across his bone bleeds gray.

"You're losing control, aren't you?" She asks. "Your curse mark isn't active anymore. How are you doing this?"

Sasuke knew that Sakura was not quite familiar with Jugo's…special abilities. She did not know that Jugo's mutating abilities were not caused by the Cursed Seal of Heaven, but were actually an ability passed down from long-lost members of his unknown clan.

It was obvious that her medical knowledge could pick up on the change in his emotions—his flip-flopping personality is what made him so dangerous.

Innately, Sakura had always been a curious one. She loved to analyze and dissect; she wanted to learn all there was that the world had to offer. In a way, she was like Orochimaru. She would never use experiments to progress her knowledge, however, and that's where their similarities ended.

Stepping back, the kunoichi bites her thumb, preparing to practice her axe wielding skills.

"It's probably not a good idea to practice right now," she hears Suigetsu call.

There's a growling way he speaks to her, that probably has to do with his earlier experience with her weapon. Although he's solid now, the way his arms curve towards his chest would suggest he was barely keeping himself whole. "Zapping him is just gonna piss 'em off if you don't kill 'em."

Naruto frowns, wondering why the blue-man even bothered to help her with the fight. Blinking, he watches the sweep of Sakura's eyes.

He sees the drop in her guard.

Naruto had sparred with Jugo not long ago—he knew the magnitude behind those hits and the pressure it had put on his system. The moment Sakura looks at Suigetsu, she gives her opponent an advantage that could shatter bone. It is just what Sasuke's partner intended.

"Sakura, you need to move!"

Raising his eyebrows, Sasuke watches Sakura go from vertical dazedness to horizontal vigilance in a matter of seconds. The woman drops to the floor as Jugo glides above her, rolling away from his massive appendage just as it hits the ground. The depression his arm makes is huge, digging down deep enough for muddy sand to ooze out.

There is still danger around the corner.

As soon as Sakura's on her feet, Jugo is in front, shooting out a blast of chakra from his pores that burns her flesh and almost ruptures her eardrums. It sounds like a vacuum, winding its way through the fabric of her top and the weaves of her hair.

"Call him off," Naruto yells at Sasuke. "You've made your point!"

"I haven't made my point until she's been beaten." he retorts with words laced in resentment. Physically reacting, Hinata turns away from the battle and sets her gaze upon Sasuke.

With a small, mild voice she asks, "You will risk her livelihood for the sake of being right?"

Sasuke meets her pupal-less eyes. "I won't let her die."

Naruto grits his teeth, trying to control the fury that wells up inside of him. He steps in front of his wife, pushing her to the relative safety of his back.

When they were all just Genin, Sakura accepted the fact that she was not strong enough to get to the next level. Despite her knowledge, the kunoichi chose to be the third string of Team 7.

For her to want to participate in the Jonin exams, it must mean Sakura feels truly ready.

"These exams," the Jinchuuriki begins. "They are important to her. If she can't be a Jonin, her dreams will crash down. It doesn't matter if you won't let her die. Getting seriously hurt during training will make it impossible for her to recover by the next round. Just stop being so selfish; think of what it means to Sakura!"

Exhaling the heat inside of his chest, Sasuke broods.

What was the point of being a Jonin if you got hurt all of the time? Even outside of missions, Sakura risked her life over meaningless things. She couldn't even pass the first examination without dying—not dying—whatever the hell _that_ was.

Giving her the title of Jonin just because she tried hard was _not_ how it worked. It took more than perseverance and sweat. It took talent. Her talents belonged in bleached hospital rooms, with injured people under her palms. Sakura's hands were for healing, not breaking.

Sakura's hands were not like Sasuke's.

If a fight were what she wanted, then she would get one. Without saying a word, Sasuke raises his palm to Naruto, indicating silence. They both knew exactly what the woman was capable of. The blond shouldn't count her out now. Just as soon as he shifts his gaze, a screech forces everyone back to the battle. It is a painful noise, one that is accompanied by a brutal swipe to an unmarred face—one that draws blood.

It is not Jugo's hand that breaks Sakura's nose, but the wind that followed his hit. Taijutsu was not Sakura's specialty, but she was quick enough to duck and twist her body in ways that protected her core from severe damage. Blinking the whiteness from her eyes, the woman covers her face with her hand.

"Call it off, that's enough!" She hears Naruto say. When the blinding battlefield fizzes back, her vision is filled with an orange-haired fury, which lunges forward with an extended kick.

Pivoting not a moment too soon, the only thing that is damaged this time around is the back of her father's sweater, and the material gives way to the afternoon breeze.

The woman stills, grinding her teeth painfully against one another.

They were all watching her battle. Everyone was staring at her over-flowing, bloody nostrils, and the bruises that littered her skin. They saw the tears that streamed down her face and the hesitation in her movements. They thought she was weak.

Sakura was _not_ weak.

For so long, the kunoichi had followed behind Sasuke and Naruto like a puppy dog, yipping at their scuffles and crying when things didn't turn out as they should. The moment Jugo exposed her back would be a moment he would regret, for many decades to come.

If Sasuke was going to watch idly, he was going to watch her _back._

With a burst of boldness and determination, the 20-year-old shinobi pulled the ripped sweater over her head and exposed her bare skin to the sun. The sudden hotness of the smoldering day pelted her back harshly as warmth rose to her peach-colored flesh. Her eyes snap open, and the diamond on her forehead throbs with its wanted release.

Her fingertips dance over the lavender mark, suppressing it's force.

She was thinking of embarrassment at this time. She did not feel exposed or timid or anything else but resolution, because there was an enemy before her that needed to be taken down. There was no room for prudence. Sakura had a battle to win, and nothing as petty as _modesty_ would hold her back.

Refusing to juke from another hit, Sakura Haruno turns just in time to capture the obscenely morphed appendage that used to be Jugo's hand. Her glowing arm wraps around it, freeing her other hand just long enough to dig short nails into the armor of his throat.

Sakura aims for complete mutilation, by separating skin from bone.

Rearing back, she hits so hard that the trees and the earth shake in response. Purple liquid seeps from his wound and covers her skin, searing the tissue of her stomach. She hits so hard that she's unable to stop her wrath, even as the monster falls to the floor and she pins him below her.

"I am not weak!" she tells him between blows. "I will not bow down! I will not fail!"

There are people behind her—people there to help pry her off the surrendering man under her hips. His body cannot possibly hold up against such trauma. The diamond of Jugo's skin chips in thickening fragments.

"Stop," Naruto says while he glows a brilliant orange. His arms engulf her shoulders and Sakura is pulled away, kicking and screaming.

It was one of those days where the sun disappeared behind clouds, only to tease the village with a nice shadow. It was one of those days where people would walk leisurely. It was one of those days where everything was perfect for _everyone else_.

Today, it was one of the days where Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

"I can heal a hundred people at a time! I can summon slugs and axes and move mountains with a single punch!" The woman yells so loudly that her throat might give in.

"I know you can," Naruto tries to explain. He is not sure how to console her, or how to make things better. He'd always thought strong people like her couldn't ever possibly break down.

The extent of her thrashes, even in Kyuubi Mode, is enough to strain the Jinchuuriki. While Suigetsu and Karin rush to Jugo's side, Sasuke approaches with no protection other than his brutal indignation.

"Let me go! Let me—"

" **Stop,** "

The warmth of Naruto's encompassing hands washes away under the pressure of Sasuke's grip. Both of his eyes glow threateningly as he pulls Sakura to her feet and growls out his question. "What are you trying to do? What are you trying to prove?"

"Myself," the kunoichi screams out heartbreakingly. "I am not strong because of my clan. I didn't get to this point because of destiny. There's no demon inside of me. No poison boosts my power—I am tough because I've fought for everything!"

"You don't think I've fought just as hard as you?" Sasuke hisses back. "Don't you dare come to me and whine about the injustices of your perfect, little life. Everyone I'd ever loved died in the span of a single night. I had _no one_ to build me. I left behind the friends I cared for just to kill the person that destroyed my life!"

"I know, you idiot!" The woman retorts. "You left _me_ first. You left me on that cold fucking bench to mourn the Sasuke that used to be! It's hard when you have to bury the ones you care for—I cannot possibly imagine. However, it's hard watch them turn into _monsters_ , too. "

* * *

It was not a sunny, breezy perfect April day when Sasuke left Konoha. It was a dark night, illuminated only by the leftover sunrays the sun reflected upon them. Sakura might as well have been statue, carved from marble with blanched skin and pink hair that appeared white under the glow of that streetlight.

Somehow, this girl who did nothing but get herself hurt and cling to his warmth had known Sasuke's dark secret before he'd even figured it out himself. That fact scared him, as though he had a kink in his armor.

Sakura sounds less like a blathering fool, and more like a damsel on the soap operas his mother used to watch. She sounds like the night he abandoned his home. She sounds like a woman—like a lover.

He does not like it.

"You think that I am inept. You think that I am blind to your suffering and tragedy, when really, _you_ have been the blind one. You have the gall to look me in my face and tell me you had _no one_?"

Stepping away from Sakura, Naruto clenches his fists and looks down at his feet.

There is a deep loneliness within his friend, and instability of sorts. Sadness is coiled down so far into his core that not even Naruto's punches could reach it. Sasuke may understand he is not alone now, but that didn't erase the fact that he used to be—that he _wanted_ to be.

Frustration takes over Sasuke's body and her runs both fingers roughly through his hair, seething out his response. "We were kids, Sakura! I was 13 when that happened. You all knew that I had something greater than _us_ to accomplish. I would not allow anyone to get in my way, not _even you_. I was weak, and I needed power—I could not _get_ that power here."

"Yet," she begins, waving her hand through the air in front of her. " _We_ got strong _here_. Out of everyone, who was able to defeat Kaguya by your side? It was not Orochimaru, or Suigetsu, or anyone else you'd met along your way. It was Team 7. It was _me_. I've loved you throughout all of this!"

There had never been a scene like this play out in the history of…forever. Karin watches dazed at a topless woman tears into, perhaps, one of the deadliest ninja of all time. He does not stand still and listen to her ramblings expressionlessly, like he would do if anyone else dared to confront him in such a provoking manner.

Sasuke is arguing right back, shaking with surprised ire and irritation. "You don't even know what love is! You're only 20!"

The distance between black and pink shortens with one of Sasuke's steps. The man wants to grab her and shake that nonsense out of her head, because no prepubescent girl could possibly comprehend love and lust and everything else involved with the gravity of her words.

Whatever feelings carried on from their Genin days did not exist in Sasuke's world. He would never be the man that took her hand in marriage. Sasuke did not love her. Sasuke did not lust for her. He felt neither familial bonds, nor the comradery of friendship. Sakura Haruno was always something different, and that's what they grew their ties from.

She would always be precious to him, but nothing more.

"I've admitted to my mistakes, and I've apologized to you for my misdeeds. I'm trying to fix what I messed up. I have so _many_ regrets. I will never, _never_ regret not—not—."

Biting his lip, he's unable to admit what Sakura begged him to do. He does not regret leaving her on that _cold fucking bench_ , because taking her with him would have been a greater mistake than all of the others combined.

"I won't repent my actions on that day."

Sakura can see the firmness of that decision in his eyes.

Raising her hand, Suigetsu is sure that the pinkette is going to slap it across his bosses face like any other denied suiter would. Her face has bloomed into an anguished expression, showing every ounce of despair her heart must feel. The hit never comes, and instead, Sakura covers his _Sharingan_ and drops her head low.

"You have always been someone that I admired." She cries out. "I'll admit that I may not have understood what I was feeling—I may not have known the magnitude of my confession and the words I said that night."

Sasuke's hand grips her wrist and he pries it from his face. Despite this, she continues.

"I am not naïve anymore. I will not chase you or beg you to stay with me. I won't weep over your lost soul any longer. However," She runs her thumb along the white fingers that squeeze her so tightly and concedes, diving into his chest.

Sakura's nose pushed into the fabric of his shirt and she smelled the earthiness on him. No candle could replicate the scent. It reminded her of their younger days, before they did anything important. When they walked dogs, painted houses, and stretched out in dewy grass waiting for their sensei to arrive. He smelled of simpler times, when Sasuke was just a crush and she was just a girl.

"I will always love you."

Feeling the breath leave his body and the weight of the planetary system fall upon his shoulders, Sasuke recoiled.

He could not _do_ this.

He could not be around someone who cared for him so wholly. Love, for someone like him, was not rainbows, flowers, hugs, and kisses. Love was death. Love was despair, longing, _painful_.

Pushing the broken thing away from his body, he said, "I don't love you."

 _I can't._

* * *

Hinata drapes a checkered picnic blanket over Sakura's shoulders, covering up the shaking broadness as best as she can. Her husband had disappeared after Sasuke only moments ago, promising to make things right no matter how much Sakura begged him to stay. She did not want any more promises of a lifetime.

"I'm very proud of you."

In this day and age, women are often taught to be silent and dress modestly. Hinata knows this most of all, as she was trained with etiquette by the most prestigious of teachers. Cross your ankles, sit up straight, and be silent while the men talk.

Every day of her life, Sakura disobeyed these rules. Times were changing, whether they wanted to or not.

"That means a lot to me," Sakura says. She strains to stand and loses her balance momentarily, draping her arm across Hinata's shoulders on instinct. "You always know just what to say."

By now, the sun is setting and night will come soon. Hinata knows Sakura doesn't need a hospital—she needs a warm bed. Although there is a bundle of weapons and supplies left under the oak tree, Hinata decides to walk the kunoichi back home and gather the equipment later, if it's not stolen by then.

When Hinata wraps her arm around Sakura's waist, she's surprised to see a flash of red fill her vision. Karin looks down at the girls with a straight face before squatting, offering her back to Sakura.

There's no malice or cruelty in her suggestion. "I'll take you wherever you need to go."

Shaking her head, Sakura's denies the gesture. "Really, I—" Denying her wishes, her knees buckle and she falls onto into the woman's warmth. It seems as though this healer is stronger than she looks. Standing as though Sakura were a sack of feathers, the pinkette mumbles one last copout. "Aren't you tired from healing Jugo?"

"Not as tired as you are from fighting him."

Silently, duo waits for Hinata to pick up their disregarded meal, and when finished, she leads the way to Sakura's apartment.

* * *

Karin hasn't ever been to this side of town. The streets are narrow and smelly…a good kind of smelly, like food and flowers. People walk by in clothing that has no rips or frays, and everyone nods and smiles in their direction. Shaking her head at the strangeness, Karin stops walking when the black-haired one stops in front of Sakura's home.

Her slender finger unlatches the surrounding gait.

Without meaning to notice, Karin sees that the yard is mowed and the porch, though in need of a painting, is swept and tidy. Hanging from a single nail on the front door is a woven wreath, overstuffed with fake florae and obnoxious décor. Hot glue strings catch in the sunlight, mimicking a spiders' web.

"The key's under the mat." Sakura drones.

There's a funny sort of feeling bubbling inside of Karin's tummy. Someone like her was rarely trusted because of her past transgressions. It's odd to walk into a stranger's home without feeling the scrutiny of their gaze.

Especially one that's so…well, homey.

Sakura slides to the floor as soon as she's inside, kicking her shoes off and tucking them haphazardly beside a sitting bench. The first room Karin sees is a living area, with wide couches and unfolded blankets scattered messily about.

"Does anyone want tea?"

Hinata speaks first, adjusting the bags within her grasp. "I can't stay. I must go home and start dinner; my sister is visiting this evening."

"Karin?"

She stills. Two eyes turn to her, waiting for an answer.

This woman does not know what to say. She is not a friend, like Hinata is. She is not even an acquaintance. Sasuke stabbed her one time, Sakura healed her up, and that was that.

She's never been invited in for tea.

After a few more seconds of nothingness, Hinata clears her throat, bows, and politely exits just as noiselessly as she arrived. The door clicks and the two are left alone in the floral scent of the foyer, avoiding one another's gaze.

Unable to keep her motionless position any longer, Sakura smiles kindly and takes a step towards the hallway. "Well, I suppose I should put something on."

"Don't, I'll—." Karin's voice catches from the sudden blurt. She takes a deep breath, calming her nerves. "W-Where…would you like me to get your clothing from? Let me help."

The gratuity from this woman who, by all accounts, should be Sakura's rival is astonishing. Her unhealed body plops onto the sofa, and the woman graciously explains where to go. "The laundry room—I think there's a camisole on the dryer."

By the time Karin makes it back, she has a bundle of fabric draped in her arms of all shapes and sizes. "I didn't know what a camisole was." She admits. "There's this blouse right here, and I found a dress. Oops, I think those are pants. Uh, that's a skirt. The only thing left is a, uh, bra."

"I'll take the bra," Sakura replies. "That's the one I meant to put on this morning, actually. Go figure!"

Thrusting the material towards the couch, she turns quickly and listens to the slap of elastic as Sakura pulls the apparel over her chest. It covers her like a short tank top, exposing part of her stomach. Karin hadn't noticed the stretch marks before or the rugged blue scar above her hip. Her skin is dirty and sweaty, marred in small cuts from gravel and Jugo's hits.

Feeling as though she hadn't done enough, Karin wordlessly exposes her bite-littered arm, offering her chakra.

Sakura shakes her head. "Oh, don't worry about it. I can fix all this in a little bit. My arms feel like noodles right now, though. I think I need a nap first and then I'll—."

"You're in love with him." Karin says. She clicks her heels together and stares at her boots, stiffening her body out of embarrassment.

So confident in her feelings, Sakura does not even bother blushing anymore. It is simply the truth, and admitting the truth to someone it does not affect is easy. "I am."

The tick of a kitchen clock counts the moments it takes Sakura to sigh and tilt her head onto the back of her couch. "I'm in love with him, and I'm selfish for forcing the guy to listen to yet another confession."

Karin shakes her head. "No, that's not what I think at all! I just..."

There has never been a more confusing situation like the one between Sasuke and Sakura. Karin is not tasteful when it comes to wooing, and even though she's literally pressed herself upon Sasuke and forced him into lewd situations, he's never reacted as dramatically as he did around Sakura.

Sakura didn't rub against him, or constantly flirt. She was honest to her feelings and self, in a way that was not exaggerated or generic. The fact of the matter was that Sasuke would never shut down Karin so brazenly, because she was not a threat.

There must be more to the story.

"Whatever your problems are, they don't have anything to do with me." The redhead admits. "I just think there's more to Sasuke that what meets the eye. I wanted to thank you for helping me realize that."

Nodding, Sakura agrees. Of all people, she knows how tough his shell is to crack.

There comes a point in your adult life, when you must learn to set aside tragedy and blame for the betterment of your own self. The people who forget their past are doomed to repeat it, but those that mourn what could have been will never escape the present.

Karin has been hurt. Karin has been thrown aside, tortured, and exposed to the harshest realities that ninja-dom had to offer. That _bad_ did not outweigh the _good_. Everyone still deserved a happily-ever-after.

The love Karin felt for Sasuke was not like to love Sakura had for him. While Karin found the darkness in his spirit to be attractive, Sakura fought against it. Every time he pushed her away, the pinkette got back up swinging. She didn't chase after Sasuke to fulfill some sort of fantasy. She followed her heart and refused to suppress her emotions no matter how often Sasuke batted them down.

Both Sakura and Karin agreed that Sasuke was not as opaque as they'd like him to be. Perhaps the redhead could do something about that. She wanted nothing more than to see that man's smile—

-the one that could draw it out, would certainly be Sakura.

Bowing lowly and respectfully, Karin bid adieu and all but ran away from Sakura's home. She galloped through the smelly street, passed civilians who crowded around one another, and honed in on the saturated, deep purple chakra of Sasuke Uchiha.

There was some reconnaissance to be done.


	12. Chapter 12: It's technically extortion

_**Chapter 12: It's technically extortion.**_

Naruto ignored the polite bows of the villagers and onlookers who waved their arms, begging for photos and autographs. It was unlike him to behave so callously, but he had important matters tend to.

"Stop following me."

They were not traveling atop buildings like the Uchiha usually preferred to do. It was obvious that the choice to weave through crowds had been decided as a means to ditch Naruto, and Naruto wasn't having it. He trailed the bastard that had broken Sakura's heart, _again_ , stamping his feet noisily.

"Stop being an asshole."

The Hokage tower loomed ahead, blocking the fading sun's rays as it edged towards the horizon. If Sasuke was purposely seeking Kakashi out, he had something malicious involved—without a doubt, it involved Sakura.

Scoffing, Sasuke entered the building and bypassed the receptionist rudely. Together, both men made their way to the top, not bothering to knock as they burst through Kakashi's doors simultaneously.

For the silver-haired man, this was both nostalgic and completely shocking at the same time.

Before Naruto even gets a chance to tattle, Sasuke pushes his whiskered face away from the Hokage's desk and leans onto its surface, rustling up papers with his force

"I want Sakura out."

Kakashi blinks. "Too bad."

"This isn't a joke."

"Am I laughing?"

"You're really something," Naruto yells, finally prying himself out of Sasuke's grip. "You have to be the world's _biggest_ dickhead to purposefully ruin someone's life this way."

To this, Sasuke glowers.

It was not about ruining Sakura's life—it was about preserving it. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a strong woman. Her analytical skills could rival that of a one-tomoe _Sharingan_ , and her ability to break through genjutsu was almost flawless.

She was too emotional, though. Ninja could not behave so irresponsibly.

"Look," Naruto begins. "I get that you don't want her to get hurt. I don't know if you've missed it or not, but she has this cool new technique that makes her damn near invincible if she has enough chakra. Black things spread over her body and shit. You can rip her in half and she'll bounce right back in a few minutes!"

"Shut up." He hissed to Naruto. "This isn't about what just happened. It's about _her._ It's about who she is."

"What's _wrong_ with who she is?" The man retorted.

Kakashi has had just about enough. Standing swiftly, he slams his palm upon his desk. Although most of his face remained hidden beneath a mask, the way his eyebrows knitted together showed just how frustrated he was.

"Sasuke, you come into _my_ office, crying out Sakura's flaws, when _you_ can't even complete the most basic of Genin tasks? Teamwork is _important_ , and that includes valuing their worth."

"How can you value their worth if they're _dead_?" he spits back.

"I've already told you!" Naruto suddenly shouts. "Someone was going to die in that mission, anyways!"

"It was _supposed_ to be you! You can't tell me she wouldn't stick her neck out to save you if something similar happened in real life."

"It _won't_ happen, because I won't _let_ it happen!"

"Enough!"

The throbbing at Kakashi's temples indicated one hell of a headache was rounding the corner. He moved out towards the center of the room, stepping between his former students meaningfully. "Sasuke, I'm denying your request. Naruto, stop following Sasuke—both of you, _get out."_

"If she gets hurt," Sasuke starts, "Remember that I was the one that tried to save her."

"NO, YOU WERE THE ONE THAT MADE HER FIGHT JUGO. _"_

Shikamaru knocked on the door and entered, eyeing the exchange wearily. It seemed as though he'd walked in on quite the scuffle. Thumbing through the stack of papers in his hand, he read the status of the reports and mentally gauged if he _had_ to deliver them today.

Kakashi raises his finger and shakes his head, warning him not to high tail it out of there. "I'll be done in a minute. Just wait."

"All I'm saying, Sasuke, is that you don't ever give her a chance to shine. I don't understand why you hate her so much—."

"I don't hate her," He interrupts.

"Yeah, well, you certainly don't love her either. You made that _painfully_ clear."

Feeling his own headache start to form, Shikamaru released an exasperated sigh.

Sasuke was arrogant. In their youth, Shikamaru remembers how adamantly he pushed away friendships, and how easily everything came to him. He was admired by many and despised by those who were jealous.

Shikamaru did not fit into either of those categories.

It was rare for him to hate a certain type of person. He didn't like many qualities in people—but that didn't inherently mean owning a bad trait made you a bad person.

Overconfident, hateful, and malicious Sasuke, however, was deserving of Shikamaru's dislike.

An idea pops into his head. It was rare for something to form in his intricate mind without it automatically picking it apart, but _this_ particular idea was an idea unlike any other in the history of…well…ideas.

Knowing that Naruto and Sasuke would follow, he set his plan into motion. "Kakashi, actually, there are some things you need to review in the surveillance sector."

"Kakashi," Naruto called. "We're not finished!"

* * *

Shikamaru sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair and turned on the monitors.

Naruto had never seen anything like this before. Each screen had a different view of Konoha, from places as meaningless as alleyways, to training grounds and the Great Village Gate. The sound of meaningless conversations roared to life on the speakers, filling the room with warbled noise.

This place was kept quiet for good reason.

"This place is amazing," Naruto coos.

"Yeah," The spikey-haired man replies. "I don't mind it. We're going over Jonin-to-be profiles at the moment, just to make sure nothing mischievous is afoot."

"Wait…who's a _foot_?"

Sasuke groans.

Kakashi ignores the men and looks at the objects in front of him. Their system was state-of-the-art. The ninja profile every Konoha shinobi submitted could be placed into the database. Automatically, it would match height, weight and facial structure until every recording involving a certain individual was gathered into a convenient little file folder. It was even possible to search for groups or couples—even on certain _dates_.

Shikamaru taps on a few things, hoping to entertain the Hokage-to-be. "Look at this."

Leaning in, Naruto watches through grainy footage as his younger body runs down a road. Splashes of red paint fall to the ground from his bucket—it was obvious he'd been up to a nefarious task. "We've got 36 folders involving the keywords 'Naruto Uzumaki' and 'paint'.

Laughing with embarrassment, he scratches his head. "Oh yeah, well, look up 'Kakashi' and 'late'."

"Our system can't handle that sort of data."

Kakashi grunts.

"Can you look up Hinata? Maybe search for something embarrassing, like 'nose-picking'?"

"Sure,"

Shikamaru humors him. Kakashi wouldn't admit that he found the process interesting and funny at times. Before long, all three men fall into surveillance tasks, creeping on past videos of unimportant things.

Sitting down in the corner, Sasuke crosses his arms and waits for Kakashi to finish. He wasn't satisfied with the ultimatum he'd been given. If Naruto wanted her in the exams so much, then he'd better be her partner.

On second thought, _no_ , he'd better stay _far away_.

"Oh, can you really do that?"

Sasuke looks away from the ceiling tiles just as his name flashes on the monitor. 'Sasuke', 'Sakura', and 'Great Village Gate' type into existence, and when the date of his departure 7 years ago loads, Sasuke has no time to react.

Shikamaru's already captured him with his shadow. "This is for your own good."

Looking at Sasuke with confusion, Naruto's eyebrows dip together. Although his body shows no sign of movement, his skin heats up and sweat accumulates on his forehead. This is something he does not want anyone else to see.

"Shikamaru, what's the meaning of this?" Kakashi asks. "If Sasuke doesn't want us to see this, we won't." Skipping a few beats, he finishes with, "…while he's in here."

Tapping feet on cobblestone catch their attention, and Sasuke is forced to watch. He knew this reverberation all too well. The sound haunted his mind for months. His younger voice rang throughout the speakers. " _Why are you prowling around here in the middle of the night?"_

 _"_ _I knew you'd come this way if you were to leave. So, I just waited…"_ Sakura replied.

Neither Naruto nor Kakashi could keep their eyes off of the screen.

Naruto had always thought that something more had happened between the two of them. He hadn't the slightest inkling of the drama that was about to unfold. Watching every small movement from the high-definition video, he gulped, catching the gentle tremble of Sakura's lip.

She did not cry like the child she was. She cried with the tears of a young woman, watching her friend and comrade follow in the footsteps of a man who'd caused nothing but strife and death.

Sakura does not give in so easily, however.

 _"_ _Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? No matter what, you'll always hate me."_

Kakashi settles down in the chair, folding his hands under his chin. He's not oblivious to the man standing beside him—the man who was also, incidentally, the kid in the recording. He imagines this must be uncomfortable to watch. Everyone had made mistakes in their past, and having your slip-ups play out in front of comrades, purposefully, just seemed downright _wrong_.

Yet, they could not look away.

 _"_ _When we became Genins, the day when our three-man team was first decided…The first time we were here by ourselves, you were so mad at me."_

He had barely let her finish. _"I don't remember that."_

The realization hit her harshly. Her humorless laugh echoed around the room.

 _"_ _Haha…yeah I guess you're right. That's all in the past."_ The bleary-eyed child did not look at Sasuke any longer. Her vision was clouded with memories that she would never forget. " _This is where it all began, though. We did all sorts of missions, just the four of us. It was painful and difficult at times…and yet…I still enjoyed it."_

She looks at his bag—too big for his body as it held all of the possessions he found valuable enough to take with him. Naruto cannot imagine the helplessness she must have felt in that moment. The strain on her body is clear—her thin limbs and sunken eyes portray worry.

Hadn't he taken her out for ramen that day? Hadn't he told her not to fret, that Sasuke would be _fine_? Sakura knew that wasn't the case. Sakura knew so much, she—

 _"_ _I know all about your past Sasuke."_ The young girl says. There is wisdom in her words. " _Even if you get revenge, it won't bring anyone happiness—not you and…and not me, either."_

Just as his former self speaks, Sasuke breaks free from Shikamaru's hold and lunges towards the screens. Although Shikamaru has gotten stronger in his years, battling against Sasuke's prowess was difficult.

"This is none of your business." He grounds out. The sound of Sakura's first confession, however, stills his movements with an expertise that even a Shadow Possession could not replicate.

 _"_ _I love you with all my heart!"_

Kakashi listens to the ringing plea. It's almost as if you could hear the very moment her heart had broken. The girl begs. It's all she can do.

" _If you were to stay with me…"_ Sakura says, " _There would be no regrets. Every day we'd do something fun. We'd be happy…I swear! I would do anything for you!"_

Naruto clenches his fist.

" _Please, just stay with me!"_

"She wouldn't want you to hear this." Sasuke explains, speaking lowly. It is the first time Kakashi has heard such a genuine plea from him. "Just turn it off."

It's far too late now. Sakura's secret already pours through the audio system, curling around the ear canal to some of the most important men in her life. He can't do anything now. Whether Sasuke slams his hands on the keyboard or not, they would most certainly find their way back into this room and finish up what was started.

Sasuke swallows the balled foil inside of his throat, grimacing as it trekked it way downward.

 _"_ _I'll even help you with your revenge."_ The teen says. She curls her hands towards her chest, as if the movement would stop her heart from physically falling out. " _I don't know what I could do…but I'll try my best to do something! So please…stay with me…! Or take me with you if you can't stay here."_

 _Take me with you…_

 _Take me with you…_

Naruto cannot believe his eyes. He falls into the seat beside his former teacher, ignoring how the bolts of the headrest irritated his neck.

If Sasuke had taken her with him—if he'd humor the girl, clasp her hand and run out into the darkness of the night, there's no telling what could have happened.

There was nothing easy about heartbreak. Kakashi knew what it was like to lament. Falling into ones sorrow felt like plunging towards the depths of hell. You'd do anything to stop that pain—you'd _say_ anything.

To save someone from such a plight, you'd be more than willing to break them yourself.

This is precisely what Sasuke does. For you see, that boy had been to the afterlife. He had rolled around regret. He knew just how costly all of his mistakes were when he made them. Will all of this, Sasuke was unable to drag his teammate into his obscurity. So, he cuts off their ties cleanly.

 _"_ _You really are annoying."_

Sasuke knew those words would mean something to her. He knew about the connection they all had to that bench, and how many "firsts" it drew forth. It was cold, porous, and caked in years of Konoha dust, but it was a good.

It was good.

She yells for him to stay. She threatens him with screaming, with telling, with everything a broken girl can think of. In a flash, Sasuke's former self disappears and takes his place behind her, staring at the strands of cotton candy that catch in the air they share between them.

 _"_ _Thank you."_

 _Thank you_ for being there for me. _Thank you_ for trying. _Thank you_ for loving me, despite how torturous that must be.

Falling forward, Naruto's only mildly surprised that Sasuke bothered catching Sakura at all.

Kakashi looks at the smallness of her body compared to a boy of the same age. He'd never seen her as scrawny, but she was. She's light in his arms and he holds her like the wounded person she is, gently positioning her body atop the carefully carved stone.

Without knowing who he used to be, some might say that Sasuke Uchiha was always brutal. Between Sasuke and him, both had quick tempers and savage responses. It was rare to see a boy his age treat anything with delicacy, especially a girl. Pulling their hair was always more fun.

Sasuke was not the monster he soon turned out to be. He was a child, once, who'd been given a taste of sweet family love, only to have it stolen by the person he respected most.

The Sasuke who left Konoha that night was falling down the unforgiving path to hell—but he was not there yet.

He still had kindness in his eyes.

In the stillness of the observation room, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Naruto watched as the boy's shoulders trembled. The view from the lamppost showed dry cheeks and firm lips, but his eyes sparkled. They looked like galaxies, splattered with various nebula and starbursts.

Sasuke Uchiha stood silent as he watched. The boy tried to pry Sakura's hands off of his shirt to no avail. They were like vices, adhered to the fabric as if they'd been sewn on.

No one understood the emotional state of his mind back then. Naruto couldn't possibly grasp how confusing it was to hate someone so vehemently, and feel like there was room for nothing else, despite how your body reacted to another's touch.

Sakura touched him a lot.

On mornings when Kakashi had left to find food, and Naruto wouldn't wake up even with the most painful of kicks, Sasuke was left to wake up Sakura. For anyone else, this meant a black eye. For _him_ , it was a hug—a hug he didn't particularly care for, in spite of the warmth it gave off.

When she was scared, she ducked into his back. When she was worried, she reached for his arm. When they were under attack, her wild eyes found his and they communicated without words.

Sasuke's mind may have pushed her away, but his body refused to do so.

Naruto was confused when Sasuke said he didn't love Sakura. Love didn't have to be romantic. Love could be familial, friendly, personal but not involved. On the monitor, when everyone motionless in quiet disbelief, Naruto saw Sasuke get personal—he saw Sasuke get involved.

Kiss, by definition, was to join lips in respect, affection, love, or passion. When Naruto slammed his face into Sasuke's at the academy, it was _not_ a kiss. It did _not_ involve respect, affection, love or passion.

Kissing Sakura, though, didn't really involve any of that either.

Sasuke doesn't know what compelled him to do it. When he was younger, he'd had a cousin with the odd tendency to squish anything they'd considered "cute". Some people squeal or coo in reaction. Some people cuddle the object of their desire. Some people, like Sasuke, turn their heads, tuck their hands into their shorts, and get on with their fucking day.

Why he didn't do it that time is beyond him.

Now, Naruto watches him kiss the girl he swore he didn't love an hour ago. He watches how carefully the boy tucks loose strands behind her ears, and the way his rough thumb cuts through the saline streams gathered atop her cheeks. When the footage cuts out, and the sounds of beeping monitors take over the clack of shoe-on-pavement, Naruto turns.

"You're a real asshole, ya know that?"

"Here, here," Kakashi agrees.

Nodding fervently, Shikamaru resets the search bar and plants his feet atop the desk. "That was quite the show."

"This was none of your fucking business." Sasuke began. He looks at each person, shooting off sparks of ferocity. "What gives you the right to peak into other people's lives like that, when it doesn't concern you?"

" _I_ give him the right." Kakashi begins. "These cameras were modified after Lord Third was attacked. In fact, they were probably only weeks old before you decided to run out on your people. Don't change the subject."

"What's the subject?" He asks.

"Boy, you sure are full of questions." Naruto responds. "Are you willing to answer any of mine?"

Sasuke's receding back is his response. Kakashi, however, will not allow him to run out so easily. There were certain tasks involving adulthood that overpowered _wants_. Running away should not be the Uchiha's default response.

"I get it now. You don't want Sakura in the exams because she could get hurt. That's completely understandable."

"Yeah," Shikamaru follows up. "Now that you can stop pretending you hate her, maybe you can move on with your life, too. You can thank me later."

Kakashi continued. It's not fair to Sakura for you to keep treating her the way you do. She cannot help that you feel this way. You need to progress from sticking gum in her hair and take her on a date."

Through their chiding, and Sasuke's seething, Naruto's stern voice cuts above the rest. "Sakura deserves to know."

"There's _nothing_ to know. That was years ago. I left thinking I'd kill Itachi and Orochimaru and come back to a village where everything was the same. It didn't work out that way. I don't feel anything towards her."

"How can you say that?" The blond argues back. "What other reason is there for—."

There's only so much one man can take. Today, he's argued and fought—he lashed out, he yelled, and he's stood motionless as personal information played out for his peers to see. Sasuke's had enough.

"There doesn't have to be a reason. There _isn't_ a reason. Sakura is my comrade, just as you and Kakashi are." He bites out. "It just so happens that she's right—she's not strong from clan lineage or from a demon inside her gut. Out of all of us, Sakura's the most likely to get hurt—if it's possible to avoid that, then we should."

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Naruto hisses back. "You're not fooling anyone with that! If you feel that way, fine, but that's not why you kissed her on that bench! Maybe you don't love her. You like her, though! There's no other reason why you touch her so much!"

"You touch her?" Kakashi interjects. Even partially hidden, his face conveys stern abhorrence. "I understand I haven't been the role-model, but there's no excuse for—."

Three against one were better odds when _kusanagi_ was involved. "I _don't_ touch her."

"Yeah, well I distinctly remember some grab-assing a week ago, but I dirt grass."

"Digress," Shikamaru corrects him quickly. "You digress."

Before anything more comes out, and tempers rise exponentially, Kakashi enters the apex of the trio and asserts his dominance. There were two sides to every conflict, and luckily, for Sasuke, Kakashi saw both easily. Naruto had a point—it was unfair for Sakura to be in the dark about something as potentially life changing as this.

Sakura was a good girl. Her curtness and knowledge of Tsunade's previous position as Hokage helped him out tremendously in the beginning. She also ended upon the backburner when things of importance popped up, especially in the past, and especially about Sasuke. It was not fair that they knew Sasuke thought highly of her, and she did not.

It also was not their place to explain this to her.

"You cannot just tell her, Naruto." The man decides. "Matters of the heart involve those that are connected. Sasuke, for whatever reason, does not wish for Sakura to know how he feels—how he used to feel. I understand that this may take a load off her shoulders. I understand that, because of Sasuke's actions, she's come to believe that he thinks of her as fondly as he thinks of gum on his shoe. Despite this, it is not our business."

Crossing his arms, Naruto huffs and ungraciously accepts his defeat. Not all is lost, however.

"You can probably blackmail the guy, though."

Sasuke growls and stares at the Hokage with malevolence. Being the former police chief's son, he knew the full extent of the law. Maybe they could get away with public surveillance, but threating someone it that way was _wrong_. No, it was more than wrong. "That's _illegal_."

"Not unless Naruto puts it on paper," Shikamaru says, cleaning the dirt from under his nail. "It's technically extortion. If you file your complaint with me now, I should be able to get back to you by the end of the Jonin exams. We're rather busy in here."

An evil smile contorted Naruto's features as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was rare for him to come out on top. He wouldn't do anything _crazy_ , of course…unless he _needed_ to.

By now, the sun was completely down. Naruto was hungry, and if he missed dinner with Hinata and Hanabi the man's not sure he'd be able to forgive Sasuke. After all, the picnic she'd worked so hard on spoiled thanks to him. Turning his nose up, the blond barks out a reasonable, but infuriating command:

"Follow me,"

Sasuke watches the idiot flounce to the door. Ignoring the fact that it was slightly ajar, Naruto twisted the handle and swung it open powerfully, jumping back when Karin's inquisitive face filled his view. "K-K-Karin?"

Scratching the back of her head, the whiteness of her cheeks glow with embarrassment and she tugs at the tip of her revealing top. "Sorry for shocking you, Naruto. I was waiting for Lord Hokage. I had a few questions for him."

"You were waiting for me?" Kakashi asked, peering at her from behind his student's shoulders. What could she possibly need?

Whatever it was, she did not wish to say it aloud. Smoothing the straight side of her red locks, the woman stammers. "Do you mind if I…uh, speak to you privately?"

Uninterested in whatever she was involved in, Naruto sidestepped the woman and headed out the door. He disappeared down the hallway with Sasuke loose on his heels, looking as if he were mere minutes away from murder.

Karin didn't wait for Shikamaru to exit, or for the privacy of the Hokage office. Her determined voice said, "I want to help everyone prepare for the exams in a different way." Adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose, she continues. "I've decided to drop out."


	13. Chapter 13: A dangerous influence

_**Chapter 13: A dangerous influence.**_

"Where are we going?"

Sasuke was exhausted—mentally exhausted. That was to be expected on a day like this, when he'd expressed more emotion than he had in the entire time he'd been traveling. Konoha brought the worst out of him. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi did, too.

Naruto leads him into a narrow streetway. There are houses separated by only a few feet—inches, for some—and the farther they walked, the newer they looked. The scent of dinner wafted through the air. Every building they passed had a light on, reflecting the shadows of families who gathered around dinner tables.

"I'm taking you to apologize to Sakura." The blond says. "It's just up ahead."

Sasuke stopped, scowling towards his feet. "I have nothing to apologize for."

Shrugging his shoulders with indifference, Naruto continued onward. "Off the top of my head I can name three billion things you need to apologize for. "Sorry" doesn't wash them all away. Don't do it if you don't want to—I'll just make sure she winds up in Shikamaru's sector somehow."

He ignored Sasuke's glare and stopped at her small apartment.

She had a wreath hanging on her door. She had made it months ago out of craft supplies and glue. The decorations had started to fall because of the excess condensation April weather brought—rain, heat, rain, heat—and the thing was looking hideously warped. Naruto had half a mind to ridicule the ugly thing.

Instead, he flicked a fake bird off a protruding flower and tossed into the bushes beside him.

Sasuke's surprised that he enters without knocking; throwing her unlocked door open wide enough for passerby's to see. "Honey, I'm home!" The man yells.

A small voice welcomes him in. "I'm in the living room!"

Sakura had taken a long shower. She'd soaked under layers of suds as she scraped her nails across her skin, cleaning away her fatigue. During that time, she thought of many things. She thought of Sasuke, most of all, and the guilt that raked her body couldn't be washed away even under the hottest water setting.

Sasuke was going to be leaving soon. He was going to pass these exams and head out on even more dangerous missions, protecting her village and her people. Their time was limited, and yet, Sakura's emotions swayed her to fight with him.

Drying her hair and turning off the TV, she had only seconds to relax before Naruto's footfalls made their way into her porch. Sakura had been expecting a visit from him.

When he walks in, she says, "Don't you have a dinner to go to?" But her words catch at the end, seeing the blackness of Sasuke Uchiha contrast with the pale blues of her hallway.

What. The. Hell.

"Sakura, I brought Sasuke! He has something to tell you—oh, hey, you're naked."

The towel that wrapped around her body was long enough to fall to her knees. After he'd seen her completely bare chest, Sakura knew she had no reason to backpedal into her laundry room and put on the same clothing she'd just thrown into the washing machine. She did so anyways, trying to hide her complete mortification.

"A shirt," she muttered. "Where's my goddamn shirt!"

Pillaging through layers of clothing she'd grown out of, and staring at the qipao she'd warn as a Genin, Sakura decided to face the situation and settle for jogging pants and the sports bra she'd had on earlier.

The woman cursed her previous self for finally putting away laundry.

As she changes, Sasuke examines her home. Sakura had a…incommodious residence. It seemed as though the living areas were below, while a studio/attic of sorts settled further up. It was obvious from the drop-down staircase at the end of the hall, that hadn't been moved back up.

The kitchen shared space with a dining room, showing off only a few chairs surrounded by an oval table. Though it was small, trendy items and updated amenities gave the apartment a homey feeling. Most of her decorations looked handmade, and not as cheap as the weird nest she hammered to her front door.

It smelled like flowers—like fake, perfume flowers.

"I don't have long ya know!" Naruto yells down the hallway. Crossing his arms, the man stomps into the sitting area and settles into a couch. "You can sit down if you want."

Standing firm, the Uchiha refuses.

"…or not,"

The door to the laundry room opened seconds later, and Sasuke watched as Sakura tripped over the threshold and slammed her forehead into the adjacent wall. Shaking her head and rubbing the sore spot, the woman sauntered down the passageway in a black throwaway bottoms and a stretchy, revealing top that left nothing to be desired.

The tips of her wet hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Passing by Sasuke awkwardly, the girl enters the living room and immediately chides Naruto. There was no one more suited to giving him an earful, and for that reason, Sasuke's not so upset about being here.

"I've told you not once, not twice, but three hundred times: Do Not Come into My House without Knocking!"

Pouting his lip, the blond defends his reasoning. "If your house isn't unlocked, then how am I supposed to know that you don't want me in?"

Pointing to a broken chair beside a tightly sealed window, Sakura pulls him apart. "Do I need to cement my windows shut, too?"

As she yells, Sasuke cannot help but watch.

Her stomach was not taught like a seasoned battler, he sees. It was fleshy and with full view of her arms, he saw the stretch marks that striped her skin from rapid muscular growth—and the crescent indentations of his nails when he'd grabbed her weeks ago.

Something flickers inside the pit of his stomach. It was…some kind of obnoxious male pride for leaving his mark, as though he were a dog marking his territory. Grimacing, the man suppresses his thoughts.

"What did you need to tell me?"

Looking up, Sasuke sees that she's staring at him now. The paleness of her face sooths him, because it does not seem she's confused his observance with flattery. "I don't need to tell you anything."

Naruto begged to differ. "You're sure, Sasuke? You're really sure about that?"

"What's going on?" The pink-haired woman asks as the two men silently clash. As she steps forward, a chime goes off from the kitchen. It dings six times, indicating the hour.

The way his face falls, Sasuke presumes he was late for something important. Naruto stands tall, running towards the foyer to slip on the shoes he'd messily thrown only minutes ago. When Sasuke motions to slide on his own, Naruto swats the sandals with his hand and glares up at the man.

"Go apologize," he grounds between clenched teeth.

"I _won't,_ " Sasuke retorts.

Unable to dance back-and-forth any longer, Naruto stands and places his hand on the door. Although his mouth is grinning, his voice holds no humor. "Oh, by the way Sakura, there's this really cool thing I've got to show you in Shikamaru's office tomorrow! Do you mind—?"

Ripping open the door, Sasuke gathers the idiot by the fold of his jacket collar and tosses him down the steps of Sakura's porch. By the time Sakura pokes her head around the corner, there's no sign that the blond had ever been there in the first place.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing,"

Narrowing her eyes, the woman looked at Sasuke skeptically.

The silence of her home became increasingly obvious as discomfort rose between them. She scratched her head and looked into her kitchen, not sure how to offer him a seat. Apparently he had something to say, and the frogs in her stomach suggested it had something to do with her place in the Jonin exams.

Let's hope not.

"I…have matcha tea. Would you like some?"

He sat down at her table seconds later and watched as she sifted green powder into a porcelain bowl. The hot water kettle she used was electric, so it heated rather quickly. When the water was boiling, Sakura served him and then sat across. Sasuke didn't ask why she didn't make herself a cup. Many people his age disliked the strong taste. It had a deep, vegetal aroma with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

The liquid heated his throat soothingly.

"What's going on?" The pinkette finally asks. There was no point in pussyfooting around.

He sat his tea down, and barked out a halfhearted, "I'm sorry."

"Okay?" She deadpanned.

"You accept, then."

"No," She begins, letting her finger trace a groove in her table. "I don't even know what you're apologizing about. Are you sorry for what you're about to say, or are you sorry for something you've done? I can't accept without knowing."

He clenched his fist. "Don't accept it. I don't care."

He stood then, ready to make his exit. Naruto asked him to apologize, nothing more and nothing less. This whole thing was silly play at power that wouldn't last much longer. Sasuke was not a child, he had every right to make his own decisions and do whatever he pleased. Rounding the corner, he paused.

Naruto…would hear from her, wouldn't he?

If Sakura found out about the night he left, it would put an enormous strain on their relationship. Sasuke _liked_ how things were, as impersonal as it was. He didn't know who her parents were, or what she did leisurely. Up until this point, Sasuke hadn't even known what side of town she lived on. They were comrades, heading in opposite directions in life.

The mistake he made as a foolish boy, who stole a kiss against his better judgement, shouldn't have to haunt him forever. Team 7 was whole again, why did Naruto wish to complicate things?

"Aren't you leaving?" Sakura asks. He hears the scrape of her chair against the floor. The sticky sound her feet make on the linoleum sounds like glass, shattering the insides of his ear canal.

"I'm sorry." He tried again, but this time he met her gaze.

Sakura raised her eyebrows, unconvinced. "Wow, I think that sounded worse than the other one." She sighed and stepped past him, walking to her door. "Just…go home."

His face was solemn. "You won't forgive me."

She shook her head. "I don't know what to forgive."

Their sturdy personalities clashed with one another so brilliantly, that neither would forfeit. This bickering is exactly how Sasuke Uchiha found his way into her living room, taking over the single couch nearest to the wall.

It wasn't this hard the last time. Sakura stood over him, stitching the cells of his flesh, weeping from their distressed conditions. He did not have to plead, he did not have to explain—Sasuke said, "I'm sorry," and Sakura said, "I know."

Then something about shutting up, and idiot, but he kept dipping in and out of consciousness.

"It's okay," the woman says, skipping through the channels. "You don't have to stare me into submission. You're sorry, I get it, leave already."

Sakura didn't think she'd ever have to say such a string of words to Sasuke. Her fingers play on the knitted holes of her grandmothers' blanket. The drone of a children's cartoon show fills in the lengthy gaps between their non-conversations. Sasuke made her…uncomfortable. Sasuke made her…nervous.

Making no move to exit, the Uchiha responds emotionlessly. "It's gone."

Of course it was. Both the Uchiha compound and his apartment had been destroyed in Pein's assault. The village had decided not to rebuild the police center or anything else reminiscent of his clan. The uchiwa's Sakura grew up seeing carved on various buildings and street corners disappeared like the entirety of his family—in the span of a single day.

Regardless, he had inherited all of his family's money and possessions. If he wanted to, he could build another Uchiha abode when he decided to expand his family tree once more.

The kunoichi nods in understanding. "I see. Hotels are rather expensive this time of year—I bet you're hoping for the exams to finish timely."

"I'm not staying in a hotel."

"Oh no," Sakura says. "You're staying with Naruto? I'm so sorry!"

The absurdity of her question almost makes him laugh. By almost, I mean not at all—not in the slightest. "I'm not staying in the village."

"You're sleeping…outside?"

"I am."

Hearing the revelation almost sends Sakura into a coma.

Jumping up suddenly, the girl points her finger at Sasuke. Her cheeks are red, her skin becomes splotchy, and her mouth opens and closes like she's a koi fish fighting for air.

Fire country wasn't inhabitable, obviously. Sakura herself had spent many nights outdoors, peeking through stars from beyond tree canopies. Shinobi were trained in survival, taught to find abandoned caves and sleep in animal carcasses if the cold became too much.

Sasuke did not have to _survive_ when he was in Konoha, though. There were plenty of places to crash for a few weeks.

"It's been raining," The woman bites out finally. "Please tell me you have somewhere to stay when that storm rolls in this weekend."

Clearly he did. He quite enjoyed wet weather, tapping against the plastic sheet of his tent. Traveling had gotten him accustomed to all sorts of weather anomalies; a downpour wouldn't bother him in the least.

Something glowed I her eyes when he didn't bother to respond. Sasuke couldn't tell if it was ominous, like the shimmer of Naruto's, or thoughtful, like it used to be. Whatever the cogs in her brain suggested, it must have been rather brilliant.

Sakura smiles like a lunatic. "I'll accept you apology and ring Naruto immediately…but I have a few stipulations."

Sasuke's head lolled back. How was it that, every member of his former squad relished in holding him ransom? He runs his calloused hands across his face.

"I'm listening."

Crossing her arms, the kunoichi smirked. "Let me spar and teach me how to use my battleax."

What was difficult about _that_? If Sakura could go through one practice without arguing with anyone, while _actually_ training, she'd certainly feel ready for the second round.

Sasuke didn't want anything to do with that slaying tool. It was outdated and only worked against inhuman things—demons, metals, buildings—it would never pierce flesh. "It's useless," he responds. "A weapon like that is obsolete."

"I didn't ask for opinions. I asked for help. Wouldn't humoring me be better than…whatever hold Naruto has on you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke wonders just how much Sakura had deduced.

"Why else would Naruto be the one dragging you over here? If you had something to tell me, you'd do it."

The clock in her kitchen chimed. Already, an hour had passed and Sakura was no closer to caving in than when he'd first arrived. Teaching Naruto archery had been a relatively easy task—Sakura was gifted when it came to learning quickly.

"Alright,"

"…and I want you to stay here for the night."

Staring at one another silently, a thick tension bloomed forth.

What kind of woman would ask such a thing? It was evident that she had no perversions hidden in her words, but that was beside the point. Sasuke was a man—men did not simply sleep over at female homes.

Sasuke respected this cunning kunoichi before him. He also, for lack of a better word, feared her reaction to Shikamaru's footage.

"Do you really think what Naruto has on me is worth all of this?"

She called his bluff. "If it wasn't, you'd have left ages ago."

He could not argue with such sound logic.

* * *

The tour of her one-bedroom apartment lasted less than a minute. Everything was basic, from the due shower/tub, to the closet-sized washing area. Sasuke would be staying in the attic, where, apparently, others frequently stayed.

"You wouldn't believe how many ninja come to me for healing instead of the hospital. I even keep spare clothing and toiletries on hand."

"How much do I owe you in rent?" Sasuke asks. He searches his pocket for change.

"If you had the money to pay me, you'd simply get a motel." The woman retorts. "Your spare pennies—"

Catching in her throat, her sentence fails to articulate. In his hand, he holds three gold doubloons.

"Don't worry about my finances."

"—don't interest me in the least. You're not asking me for a favor. Should we…set some ground rules? My mother and Naruto make random visits sometimes, and I'm on call 24/7. It would best if…we kept this between us."

Sasuke is pleasantly surprised by this. Konoha was not subjected to small-town gossip anymore, for it had grown far too large. It was a relief to find they were both on the same page, at least. After all, "It's just for the night."

The stairs to the attic are small and creaky, much too obnoxious for frequent use. It wasn't as dusty as he'd expected this place to be. There was a small, single-sized bed in the corner, with a matching dresser drawer adjacent.

The rest of the area was filled from top to bottom with books and filing cabinets of all sorts.

Bashfully scratching the back of her head, Sakura explains. "I haven't done a deep cleaning here in a few weeks, so sorry if it smells. I'll bring up a candle if you'd like."

"Have you read all of these?" Sasuke asks.

Medical textbooks were extremely difficult to understand. The newer novels sat on the bottom shelves—they'd not yet been fully perused. "In the corner, the blue ones are new. I've finished the rest of them, however. It looks like a lot, but it's only because ever book I own is gathered here. My mother had all of this stuff in storage, and that's the only reason it survived Pein's attack. I had a complete collection in my old house."

A cloud passes by outside, covering the moon. Sasuke walks over to the sliding window and stares at the balcony, which is overfilled with all sorts of vegetable plants. The miniature garden had pictures of tomatoes, carrots and potatoes sticking out of neat rows.

"You can come and go as you please." Sakura says. "If the storm becomes too much, this window always stays opened in case someone needs refuge."

"That's a dangerous habit for a woman."

"I'm quite sure I can handle myself, Sasuke. Thank you for your concern." The pinkette bites out. Changing the subject, she opens one of the drawers and pulls out a brown comforter. "This is a spare, and the sheets are fresh. Store your items here; there's beside the bathroom if you need extra space."

"I travel light."

Of course he did. Sakura had never had the urge to explore. During her normal ninja travels, she'd seen some amazing things, however. Konoha did not have snowcapped waterfalls or water so clear, you could see the fish and seashells below.

Lugging along half of your belongings would defeat the point.

Leaving him, Sakura retired to her bedroom for the night.

It was earlier than she normally went to bed. There were dishes in her sink, clothes strewn about, and many unimportant tasks to complete. Truth be told, Sakura was a night owl, and spent the early morning hours catching up on household chores and TV programs.

Hauling out her vacuum would certainly bother her guest, though.

She exhales heavily, finally allowing herself to blush. The fluffy nest atop her bed beckoned, so the woman fell into its warmth and let out a giddy squeal. _Sasuke Uchiha_ was sleeping at her house!

It sucked that she couldn't brag to anyone, but it was smart. Her mother did not have the best views of the Uchiha boy that sent her daughter into a brief state of depression, (Although Sakura had told her it had nothing to do with _him,_ but rather, the chemicals within her _own_ head.). Sakura already fought with Mebuki enough about the "escort" rumors.

Medical ninja _healed_ , and people didn't _only_ get hurt during daytime hours!

Kicking off her sweatpants, the woman strips and catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Oh, that wondrous mirror, which did not lie or try to deceive, reflected only what was truly shown.

It was a silly realization, but Sakura becomes fully aware that she'd never been nude with Sasuke in the same abode. Her skin flushes, glowing a peachy hue even with very little moonlight to see. She bites her lip, crossing her arms over the swells of her chest as she fought off repeat mortification.

How long would it take her to get over the fact that Naruto, Sasuke, Suigetsu, Jugo, Hinata _and_ Karin had all seen her unimpressive breasts?

Speaking of Jugo, Sakura walked to her desk and pulled out a cherry-leaf stationary set. He deserved a proper apology, and perhaps a lifetime of free hospital admissions and checkups. She curls her cursive letters and seals the envelope with wax, leaving it out on the desk to dry.

Having nothing else to do, the woman makes her way back to her bed and falls into a book about mental imbalances in adolescents.

* * *

She awoke before the sun. Sakura entered her kitchen at around five in the morning and immediately filled a cup with faucet water. She was already dressed for work, though her shift wouldn't begin for two more hours. Her restlessness took the reins on her body.

Tying her pin straight hair into a long ponytail, the woman eyed the contents of her fridge. Only an expired gallon of milk and a few eggs met her eyes.

She filled her rice cooker dutifully. As a girl, she was expected to make breakfast for her entire family. She used to be in the habit of soaking her grains overnight, but the woman rarely had time for a home-cooked meal anymore.

Ah, the stereotypical doctor who chided others health, but disregarded her own.

Breakfast went by swiftly. She was not sure if she should leave a note for Sasuke, or act as if he was never there in the first place. If Naruto or her mother came by and saw it, because he opted to use the attic balcony, she'd be breaking her own rule. Sakura decides to leave a bowl of hot rice on the table, securing it firmly in saran wrap.

That should be a good, goodbye.

The hospital was a familiar scene. Nurse aides transported food trays to the bedridden patients and reported to their superiors obediently. Sakura made herself known by greeting residents in the cafeteria, and picking up some trays. An active and kind leader always helped with productivity.

By the time she made it to her office, Ino had already arrived. "You're a bit earlier than usual." The blonde-haired woman said. "I've already filled out most of these forms. Your signature is needed on all of the red X's."

Ino had grown beautifully. She was taller than Sakura now, dressed in a purple suit that showed off the faint lines of her abdominal muscles. Flipping her bangs off her forehead, the woman glanced up. "You look…good. Did you visit the hot springs without me or something?"

Blushing, Sakura vehemently denies. "I wouldn't do such a heartless thing to my best friend. I actually got shit-whipped by an abnormally shaped fist, and had a mental breakdown on Sasuke Uchiha."

"My second guess was coconut oil. But I'm curious about this, "mental breakdown" business."

They chat for only a moment, long enough for basic details to be thrown. Sakura does not shy away from her breast-flash, even when Ino reddens from second-hand embarrassment. "Busy day,"

"Busy day, indeed,"

Friendship was a strange thing. It was not bound by rules and stipulations—it did not even involve flattery and constant encouragement. Sometimes, the only thing you needed to do to keep up with your comrade was offer a brief summary of what all they'd missed, and part ways until next time.

"I have a skin graft to do today."

"Is it the man from the emergency room a few nights ago?" Sakura asks.

Nodding, Ino waved goodbye and stepped out into the hall, preparing to complete her various duties. It was going to be a hectic workweek, undoubtedly.

* * *

Naruto greeted Sasuke eagerly. He was earlier than usual to their planned session, which was both offbeat and good change of pace. Sasuke assumed the blond wanted to know the details of his apology.

"Well, how'd it go?"

"Ask Sakura,"

They both look at the woman simultaneously.

Sakura was dressed in her normal ninja outfit today. On her thigh sat a standard weapons pouch, which was undoubtedly filled with all sorts of shuriken and kunai.

"What's she giving to Jugo?"

The letter in her hand had nothing to do with Sasuke. _Sakura_ had nothing to do with Sasuke.

By the time he'd woken up, the house was completely deserted. He could sense that Sakura had been gone for hours, and the chiming from her kitchen told him, shockingly, that he'd slept past noon.

Letting ones guard down was dangerous. In the months Sasuke spent traveling, he couldn't remember a time he'd slept so soundly. In fact, as far back as his time in Oto, there was never a memory of lazing away in slumber to midday.

There was a spell around that woman, one that broke his concentration and made him behave abnormally.

It was a dangerous, dangerous influence.

"Yo,"

Both men look at Suigetsu as he approached. He was in a considerably better mood, stretching out a toothy smile.

"Say, say," Naruto begins, covering his mouth. "Is Sakura giving that guy a love letter or something?"

Smirking, Suigetsu shrugs. "Probably—she's into the abusive types."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The Jinchuriki retorts, but the argument cannot progress beyond that. Sakura approaches, looking around the empty training grounds. "Where's Karin?"

Coming up behind her, Jugo answers with a soft response. "She does not want to be in the exams any longer. She got a job at the Hokage tower yesterday."

Sasuke narrows his eyes at this. What that why Karin had been in the surveillance sector yesterday? He does not feign interest and, instead, unsheathes his sword.

"Free for all?" Naruto asks.

Grinning from ear to ear, Sakura pulls on her gloves. Finally, she'll be able to practice without restraint. "I'll go get Hinata—last man standing wins."


	14. Chapter 14: The fight was far from over

Chapter 14: The fight was far from over.

Sakura dodged one of Hinata's Gentle Fists and dipped into the clearing. The Hyuuga woman was not well versed in long-range attacks, so the more distance there was between them, the better Sakura's odds would be.

"Don't let her run away!" Naruto yelled. His wife took to the trees, trailing behind Sakura swiftly.

Half of the day had gone by in a blur. Sunset was looming beyond the horizon now, and after their man-on-man battle previously, (which ended in a Sasuke/Naruto stalemate), the group paired off to finish a good day's work.

Because it was the last fight of the day, everyone crowded around the two women, curious of who would come out on top.

Hinata's flat palms aimed for the delicate chakra points littered throughout Sakura's body. The girl was limber, however, and she managed to dodge and juke even the updraft of the _Byakugan_ technique.

"You won't win on hand-to-hand, Sakura." Sasuke voice rang out. "You need to get distance and formulate a plan."

Hinata was relentless. Every time the pinkette took a step back, the white-eyed princess followed expertly. It was obvious that running was not an option. No battle was one by pure defense.

Sakura created a shadow clone and they twirled around each other. Those pupal-less eyes could see through the ruse easily, however. When the twins separated from each other and flanked the woman, Hinata prepared her rotation.

This continued—just as one clone dispersed, another arrived. The futile, repetitive behavior was not only frustrating to watch, it was also incredibly _boring_. Suigetsu yawned audibly—almost missing as Sakura finally found Hinata's blind spot and targeted her back with a kunai.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled. Rotating just in time, the princess managed to avoid serious injury.

"You're brilliant," The woman said to Sakura.

"You've gotten so strong!" Sakura replied.

Crinkling his nose as the strange exchange, Suigetsu leaned in to Jugo. "Sheesh, do you think they're gonna stop and hug while they're at it?"

"I would not mind if they did." The beast sheepishly admitted.

A quick, warning glower from the Jinchuuriki forced both men into silence.

Although Sakura's first plan of attack had failed, she was not finished yet. She took a deep breath, summoning energy into her right hand. The second her _Cherry Blossom Impact_ hit, it pebbled the ground beneath Hinata and rendered her _Gentle-Fist_ technique useless. The punch would have forced the spectators back, had Sasuke's partial _Susanoo_ not shielded them.

Naruto notices the smirk that washed over the man's face, as if he were watching a protégé instead of a teammate.

With his _Sharingan_ blazing, Sasuke watched as Sakura molded her chakra into scalpels. Her speed was mesmerizing; even with the upturned earth beneath her, she managed approach without hesitation.

Getting a proper hold at the last minute, Hinata leapt from a large boulder and managed to hit the woman mid-air, severing multiple chakra pathways at once.

This time, _Naruto_ does the smirking. He even throws in a painful elbow, jamming it right into Sasuke's side.

The fight was far from over, however.

Sakura had precise chakra control. She could release her energy through every pore, and while main conduits successfully remained jammed, Sakura's quick analysis found that the tip of her left pinky finger retained fuel.

With her _Byakugan_ , the white-eyed princess watched in amazement as Sakura manually re-opened the channels she'd just congested.

Sakura did not seem stilled at all. The woman continued to engage, hitting Hinata with the full force of her body. She aimed her _chakra scalpels_ towards Hinata's ocular inheritance.

Naruto's hand halted her from anything further.

"Let go," she says. "I wouldn't have done it."

Grinning like a fool, Naruto obliged. "I know, I just couldn't risk it. You both did great. Neither of you will have a problem passing the next phase."

Sakura was breathless, meeting her friends smile with her own. "You should treat us to a spa, right, Hinata?"

The supine woman groaned. "That…is a _wonderful_ idea."

Suddenly, the Jinchuuriki remembers something. He digs into his pocket, searching around for something important. "Ah, here it is! I have a coupon for that new bathhouse in central."

"No way," Sakura yelps. "That's the high-tech one with the regulated water-temperature, isn't it?"

"The very same," Naruto responds. He helps his wife up and nods towards the slowly approaching men. "Are you guys up for a spa day?"

Sasuke blocks the sun from Sakura's eyes as he looks down on her supine form. She awaits any kind of praise—a "nice form" or a "you didn't completely suck"—but he does not cast a reel and she cannot bite the bait. The unkind man doesn't even offer to help her stand. The pinkette groans.

"Sasuke, don't be an ass. Give Sakura some of your water."

He starts to protest but Naruto gives him a look. The "I have something on you" glare Sakura had come to recognize in the past few hours they'd all sparred.

With an agitated sigh, he opens his canteen and rubs the nozzle with his shirt, removing his germs.

Sakura doesn't bother being offended by the gesture. She was around the sickly often, and being too precautious never hurt anyone. Accepting the heavy container, the woman thirstily slurps up the liquid.

To her surprise, when she passes it back, Sasuke finished the cold drink directly. Confusion littering her features, the kunoichi starts to ask why he'd bother wiping it off in the first place, when Naruto pops into her vision.

"So what do you say?"

Sakura looks away from Sasuke with a confused expression. "About what…?"

Naruto groans and rolls his blue irises at her antics. "If you'd quit undressing that bastard with your eyes and listened, I wouldn't have to repeat myself! I asked if you'd like to come to the bathhouse with us."

She doesn't deny the allegation and, instead, looks between Hinata and Naruto, blinking slowly. "I won't be a third wheel to your perverse, after-training romp."

The realization hit Hinata with a smack.

"No, no that's not what he-he's asking!" She stuttered, falling back into her old habit. Her face enflamed from embarrassment as she tried to explain herself, waving her hands in front of her. "We can invite Ino and a few others. We could have a girl's bath and the boys could…um…go too. But…separately!"

Hinata pressed her index fingers together and Naruto watched them with clouded eyes. Her actions reminded him of her younger self, and he enjoyed his wife's flustered side.

"Suigetsu and I cannot go, as wonderful as it sounds." The beast admits. "Your Hokage asked us if we would see him today, and it's already so late in the evening."

Nodding in understanding, Naruto offers a fist bump. "Alright, guys. We'll see you all later."

* * *

Sakura washed her body before she entered the springs. It was a newer _onsen_ and it had been built only a few months ago. Most of the villager's preferred natural springs and baths, but Sakura didn't mind. She hadn't ever been one that valued tradition.

Ino and Hinata walked in together, slowly letting the steam waft around there well-endowed bodies. It reminded Sakura of the dirty romance novels she'd peeked at while in the stores. She never had the guts to buy them, but man, did she _look_.

"Take a picture, forehead, it'll last longer." Ino barked out. In the water, the strands of her hair refused to sink and instead, floated atop the surface.

"You're just so beautiful." The rose-haired girl admitted with a grumble. Though her words were genuine, they weren't meant to be sweet.

"Oh, you poor thing…you'll get my figure in a few more years. Maybe you'll even get your period, too!" She chuckled and Sakura dipped her head low into the water. Ino's tease had hit a sensitive nerve. Her periods had been irregular and had almost stopped arriving altogether since…since the incident.

A heavy laugh from the men's side made its way to the women, causing them to startle and cover their bodies. They were separated by a large, manmade tree barrier that was coated in plastic for easy cleaning. There would be no opportunity for peeping, as the shiny panels would not deteriorate in time.

"What are _they_ so happy about?"

* * *

Naruto had been the first into the water. During his travels with Jiraiya, he'd been to all sorts of bathing sites and even soaked in the oldest _onsen_ in the entire ninja nation. This small, artificial landscape wasn't near a relaxing as he'd hoped, but being surrounded with friends certainly made it worth it. Shikamaru and Choji had just finished showering when they walked into the room.

"You've finally arrived! I've been stuck between a wet dog and a gloomy pussycat for longer than I can stand." Naruto yelled, referring to Kiba and Sasuke.

Sasuke had not planned to come at all. The threats Naruto sent him were becoming bothersome, and if it carried on much longer, Sasuke was sure he'd end up making the man instant ramen by the end of the exams—just to keep his mouth _shut._

Sasuke had ignored both of their conversational advances and drifted into the corner by the fountain, trying to salvage a _bit_ of relaxation before the others arrived.

"Oh, lover boy's not in a good mood today?"

Sasuke glared at Shikamaru.

It didn't faze the genius. He had no problem talking openly about Sasuke's illicit, undisclosed behavior. The public opinion of him had been either pure disdain, or wholesome adoration. He was either a God King, or a traitor, and Shikamaru knew Sasuke was neither.

It was silly, but Naruto and Shikamaru quit enjoyed the hold they had over the Uchiha.

"Eh, Shikamaru…what are you talking about?" Naruto asks with an exaggerated, fake laugh. It bounces around the replica environment and for a moment, the undecipherable chatter from the woman's side pauses.

"I'm under no obligation to play buddy-buddy with you." Shikamaru says after a moment. He doesn't look at Sasuke, purposely acting haughty. Kiba and Choji watch the exchange curiously, and when a wave of menacing aura blooms between the three, they slowly edge towards the opposite side.

They opt for minding their own business, speaking about their love interests and the approaching exams in hushed whispers.

Sasuke is not stupid. He knows how, with a slight raise of his voice, Shikamaru could oust him without much effort. Though Kiba and Choji had read the atmosphere and drifted away from the triad, it didn't mean they were completely out of the conversation. From the openness of this area, the women could _also_ hear.

Sasuke sees that the intellectual refuses to meet his gaze, and it angers him.

"Shikamaru," Naruto reprimands with a sudden authority, reading the situation. "I was just playing around. Sasuke and I have worked out a deal, so…"

"…so, that doesn't involve me." The man retorts casually.

Sasuke's voice is steady. He doesn't enjoy playing cat-and-mouse. He likes to kill his prey outright. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're cocky and you piss me off."

Sasuke doesn't feel the need to change his personality to suite anyone—he never had, and he never would. He did find humor in Shikamaru's truthfulness, however. "I'm pleased that my swagger is powerful enough to thwart your lethargy."

The tension weighed cripplingly between them.

Naruto was confused by the altercation—absolutely, completely, wholly confused. For as far back as he could remember, Shikamaru was always an easy-going person. He didn't have the energy or _want_ to spend time loathing someone. The Jinchuuriki wasn't expecting Shikamaru and Sasuke to be the best of friends after their dispute in the surveillance room, but he wasn't expecting _this_ either.

Shikamaru stood aggressively and Sasuke, who still out in the openness of the water, eyed him with disinterest. It was his turn to be haughty, and his prideful nature was not a product of his environment. He did not need to play the big, bad wolf.

Struggling to keep his composure, the spikey-haired shadow summoner growled out another retort. "It wasn't you _swagger_ that thwarted me, it was your desertion. What was it like playing the villain with your psychotic sensei? Did you sleep soundly and dream of Konoha's demise?"

Scoffing, Sasuke tilts his head. "You are really _fucking_ rich. What was it like neglecting your teammates, rushing in to kill the Akatsuki member that ended Asuma, and failing yet another manned mission? Good thing _Kakashi_ was there to bail you out."

Shikamaru raises his fists towards Sasuke. "Don't you _ever_ mention his name, you ingrate."

Shooting his own threat back, Sasuke's _Sharingan_ flashes to life.

Jumping between the two, Naruto waves his arms around and yells. "I don't know what kind of pissing contest is going on here, but it needs to stop! Both of you need to _calm down._ "

Sasuke ignores him, wiping steam from his eye. "You're angry at me, because we're similar. Except, even when my friend tried to join my defection—I refused her." The water ripples around him as he approaches. "That's why you're so angry—you saw the video, and you know that you did _wrong_ and I did _right_."

"Hey, Sakura," Shikamaru calls loudly. The women's voices grow quiet. Choji and Kiba look in the trio's direction inquisitively.

"Uh, Shikamaru, is that you? What's wrong?"

She can barely be heard from the pitter-patter of the rushing fountain.

This does not halt Sasuke like Naruto and Shikamaru presume it would. Instead, the Uchiha sighs and looks up at the roof, eyeing the condensation as it rises steadily.

"You rely too much on your intelligence." Sasuke says. "People blindly follow _you,_ the man who cannot admit or accept his mistakes. While _I_ denied my teammates interventions—even when she _begged,_ you readily accepted their help."

"I have to show you something after we leave here." Shikamaru yells out, straining his voice in the echoing sauna.

Sakura wrinkles her brow and paddles to the edge of the pool. There was an intense sensation wafting from the men's side. They were arguing about something.

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Just shut the fuck up," Sakura can hear Sasuke say. She closes her eyes, trying to eavesdrop further.

"What's that, Sasuke? You can't be serious! You're telling me that—."

* * *

The sound of _Chidori_ chirped into Sakura's ears. With a cracking _boom_ , the barricade that separated the two sexes was suddenly turned over by the force of four fleeing men. As soon as Sasuke's electrified chakra encountered the water he sat in, an electric moan shattered the bulbs above.

Blackness blanketed the shinobi in a matter of seconds, leaving them all in wet obscurity.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ino roared in the obscurity. The forged warmth of the heated water was slowly dissipating—no one could see well enough to crawl out of the bath.

"He's gonna kill us all!" Choji sputters, hacking up water that he'd inhaled. "Sasuke's gone psychotic!"

"Calm down," Kiba commands swiftly, turning his head towards the sound of his voice. "If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead."

"Will everyone just shut up already?" The gravelly ire of Konoha's Hokage-to-be hides his impatience. "I can't even tell what side of the water I'm on! Where are the steps? Can anyone hear me?"

Naruto's splashing sounds close, very close. Hinata waves her hands around the water, following the sound of his voice when a startling realization overcomes her.

"N-Naruto…" She asks, stilling. "Are…you all in the same bathwater as us?"

"Eh…heh…well ya see…"

"You pervert!" Sakura screeches. She'd been silent up until this point, trying to float her way towards an exit. "You're all jackass perverts!"

"It's not like we could see anything of hers, even with the lights on…" Kiba mumbles to Choji. When a sharp yank drags him underwater, he realizes that the slender fingers that grip him don't belong to Choji at all.

"I heard what you said, you wet dog!" Ino yells.

"I…it was Sasuke's fault, Sakura! He tried to take us all with his _Chidori_!"

Sasuke, who'd been silent up until that point, scoffs.

Flaming at the nonchalance of his tone, Sakura scolds all who are involved. This was supposed to be a _relaxing_ bath. This was supposed to be a cool-down, an evening of serenity after a hard day's training. Despite being separated, the boys _still_ somehow managed to add another pound of anger onto Sakura's thinning nerves. "I don't know _what_ the hell is going on between you guys—all of you—but if it doesn't get resolved I'll personally slaughter everyone _myself_!"

"Yeah, Sasuke," Shikamaru mocks. "Why don't we resolve it?"

Sasuke's _Sharingan_ roared to life, giving him an unabashed view of the scantily clad adults before him. Finding Shikamaru easily by the dull glow his chakra gave off, the Uchiha steps onto the brim of the water and makes his way to the man.

"Sasuke…" Ino calls out. He watches the water dip from her movement. "Are you…can you _see_ us?"

He cursed his glowing kekkei-genkai in this moment.

At this, Naruto splashes around like a guppy. "I see your eyes, believe it. Help us out of here, asshole! You're the one that caused this!"

Because of the previous altercation, when the barrier between them broke down, it caused the entire bath to flood over and separate everyone. While no one was in any real danger, the mess was quite bothersome.

Hinata stands up tall, keeping as much of her body out of the water as possible. She had to admit, without the artificial heating, the bath was getting cold quickly.

It was odd that the staff hadn't come by yet, but she figured it had to do with the automatic door system that was set up. In hindsight, having an electronically manipulated environment around pools of water couldn't be the best of ideas. If they were all civilians with no chakra aptitudes, this could have been an even worse situation.

She hears a splash of water to her right suddenly. Hinata does not needing the aide of her visual jutsu to see the red and purple hue surrounding Sasuke's eyes.

"Walk straight," he tells her quietly. "Feel around for that boulder up ahead, and then move clockwise until you can touch the metal railings."

Just as softly, she follows his directions, leading herself out.

It takes about 10 minutes for him to lead everyone to the bank. Somehow, Naruto had ended up out in the very middle with Choji. Getting frustrated with trying to describe the objects around them, Sasuke all but drug him to the edge.

A rapid succession of thumps, followed by a muffled voice filled the air. "We are sending help! Please don't destroy the building! It's just been refurbished!"

"Is that the staff?" Ino asks, pulling herself up with Shikamaru's help. The hairs of her arms stood up in response to the cold.

"Sounds like it,"

"I'll give you ten minutes!" The blond yells. "If I'm not out of here by then, I'm going to get Sakura to punch a hole through the roof! Isn't that right, Sak—Sakura? Where are you?"

Hearing her name, Sakura ducked under the once moving waterfall. She didn't have the courage to show her skin to everyone _again_. Adrenalin doesn't pump through her veins right now—not as it did during her fight with Jugo. She's cold, wet, and _annoyed_. Adding embarrassment on top of this nightmare would only add to the stress.

She gulps. "I'm okay! I'll just wait in here."

It's the most ludicrous thing Ino's heard all day. "Stop being a brat and get over here! It's too cold for you to prune up in there, prude!"

"I'm not a prude!"

Being a natural-born situational saver, Naruto stands tall and cups his mouth, hoping his call would find her. "No one's going to look at you like that with Ino and Hinata here, believe it!"

Breaking off a piece of plastic, Sakura throws it directly into his echo. From the painful bark that followed, she knows she's hit her mark.

"There, there," Hinata says, petting his spiky hair. "Maybe you should just…keep quiet, dear."

"I second that—and _you too_ , Kiba."

Nestling down into her gloomy crevice, she submerges deeper into the bath. Sakura almost doesn't notice the sloshing footsteps of an approaching Sasuke.

He moves his feet along the brim, approaching her chakra. It flutters like a bird—a little mint glow that does not seem impressive in the least. Sasuke knows just how well she can control that flutter, however. She was a force to be reckoned with.

Sakura feels his heat as he hovers above her. Sasuke, apparently, hadn't been in the icy bathwater since short-circuiting everything.

"How did you get in there?"

Watching closely, Sasuke sees her turn away from his voice and burrow deeper into a curved, overhanging plastic ledge.

Sakura was a difficult one. The woman either recoiled from his touch, or imposed herself upon him. "Let's go already. You'll get sick if you soak much longer. Then you won't be able to complete the exam."

"That's a myth," she retorts, curling her arms around her chest. "Really, I'm fine. Go on ahead."

Sasuke sighs.

If he were a boy, he'd do exactly what he did with Naruto and drag her out by force. If he were a teen, he'd do as she said, leaving her to her cave. Sasuke is a man, though, and he cannot leave her to freeze.

"I won't let anyone see."

At this, Sakura rolls her eyes. " _You_ can see, and that's the problem."

"It wasn't a problem yesterday."

Hearing a splash, he instinctively backs away.

"It _was_ a problem yesterday!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, the woman laments. Her shoulders shook from the temperature and her nose felt numb, as though it was seconds away from falling off. She'd experienced so many different emotions in these last few days. Hell, Sakura had almost died, too! How much more could she take? When would she have another outburst, as she did with Jugo? Why did everything go _wrong_ for no reason?

Was this was it was like, having Sasuke back? Would he only bring her instability?

A sentence makes its way into her ears, and Sakura is almost sure she hadn't heard it. It was soft, urgent, and apologetic.

"Just trust me," he said, crouching down low. "I wouldn't disrespect you."

He asked her to trust him, so she must.

He asked her to trust him, so she _did._

Reaching out, Sakura's pruned fingers search for the warmth of his hand. Using the other, Sasuke places it atop her head and guides her out of the crevice, pulling her up to the water's top as she gathered chakra to the flats of her feet.

She couldn't see his eyes, now. He was just as blind as anyone else with is _Sharingan_ deactivated and his _Rinnegan_ hidden behind a fringe of hair.

Both of her hands curl into his one, soaking up what heat his body had to offer.

As they continue their slow progression, something happens. The lights crackle and flicker rapidly, the groan of pumps and wires fill the air, and the rush of the waterfall blooms forth.

A bright, white light illuminates the bathhouse, and Sakura's standing on the brim for all to see.

Panicking, she does the only thing she _can_ do. Sakura presses her bare chest to Sasuke's naked back and screams, wrapping her arms around his torso like a makeshift belt.

Kiba is the first to laugh, though the others soon follow. He calls out to the pool. "You've seen me naked a hundred times, Sakura! You're too sensitive!"

Sasuke can feel the movement of her lips on his skin. "You're usually bleeding to death when that happens. _I'm_ perfectly conscious right now!"

"Stop being so dramatic—this isn't a romantic comedy, Sakura. Everyone's only laughing because _you're_ making a big deal of it!"

"R-really, Sakura," Hinata calls softly, nodding in agreement with Ino's statement. "We're all friends here."

"If you were my friends, you'd leave already! The doors are open now! Get out!"

Hearing no response, Sakura musters up the courage to peek from around Sasuke's arms. On the bank, they all sit in various stages of undress. Naruto sits on the tile with Hinata behind him. Her shoulders are draped with a spare towel.

Ino, however, is unabashedly bare. Her legs are crossed in a classy, arrogant sort of way, which is not an easy feat. Standing to her right, just as open with himself to all, Kiba works water through his ear with the aid of his pinky. Even Choji doesn't seem bothered.

Sasuke is bothered, though, and it's not in a way he wants to react.

He can feel everything like this. Sakura's latched so firmly to him. Her breasts, which react from the cold, mold to the concave of his back. Sasuke cannot think of a time when he's been in a situation like this.

The sensation of the water lapping his navel, the caress of her frozen fingertips digging into his abdomen, the tickle of her orchid hair as it pinpricks the blades of his shoulders…it _frustrates_ him. Maybe Sakura truly _did_ have some sort of bewitching prowess.

Sasuke pulls at her wrists, growling. "Let go,"

The flip in his personality is dizzying. He goes from protector to neglector in a matter of minutes, suddenly behaving callously and unkind. She flinches from his order, feeling her heart race as he squeezes her wrist tendons so tightly that her fingers uncurl.

Sakura has to think quickly. What should she do? As she releases her hold, she notices a scruffy flutter on her lower stomach. Sasuke is wearing a towel around his waist.

Oh, my, what a _wonderful_ idea she's thought of.

In a swift movement, the woman lurches her arms away from Sasuke and expels the chakra around her feet. As she falls into the cold, her fingertips hook around the fabric of his towel. It takes only seconds for the thing to fall from his hips.

The heavy fabric cloaks her torso perfectly. Sakura climbs onto the water's surface again, leaving Sasuke behind as she bolts for the exit.

"What the hell?" He shouts as she scurries to the ledge. _Did she—did she just…?_

Sakura slips on the stone once her feet touch it and her legs slap the floor, but it does not halt her. Before anyone could even process her actions, Sakura is out of the door.

Silence engulfs them as they all stare at naked specimen ahead.

"Did…" Ino starts, stuttering like a fool. "Did Sakura steal your towel?"

Naruto's howl rockets around the room. A cacophony of laughter pours out, mostly from the men, which has a lot to do with pride. They did _almost_ die in one fell swoop because of Sasuke.

Shikamaru calls out to the man, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, don't tell me. Now you're gonna stay in there until we throw _you_ a cover?"

Vulgarly Kiba adds, "Are you afraid we'll see your _boner_?"

Reminded of Sai's remark towards his _own_ manhood, Naruto joins in on the fun. "Ha! If he even _has_ a dick—"

Turning towards the exit, Sasuke makes his way across the water and onto the stony slab. He walks with no embarrassment or hesitation. …Not that he'd be embarrassed, because…

"Boy, that sure shut you guys up." Ino cackles. "Huh, Kiba—why are you covering yourself up _now_? Feeling a little self-conscious?"


	15. Chapter 15: Round Two: Start!

Chapter 15: Round Two: Start!

"Sakura,"

Turning, the pink-haired-woman searched for Naruto. He stood out in a crowd, as one would, too, if they were dressed in the brightest of autumn colors. "Come stand by us for the announcement. I'm so pumped up! I can't wait to beat the shit out of everyone!"

Both Hinata and Naruto had been bombarded with their usual accompaniment. Since the war, the Uzumaki man had become a celebrity of sorts. Nary has a day gone by when he's not begged for an autograph or photo. After his declaration, however, the other contenders are all too happy to give him space.

Here they are already; the second phase of the exams.

Her footsteps guide her through the battle arena. It had been constructed after Pein's attack, built with towering rocks and formed into a dome shape. It was enormous. The stone bleachers that surrounded them could house all of Konoha easily.

"Have you seen Sasuke?" Naruto asks once she's close enough. Sakura looks at his hand, conjoined to his wife's as though they couldn't possibly be separated.

No, Sakura has _not_ seen Sasuke. She's not heard from him in two weeks, has seen neither hide nor hair. For all she knew, he was gone. He probably left the village and gave up on the exams.

Okay, maybe she's being a _bit_ dramatic. "I haven't."

"He hasn't shown up to anymore practices." Hinata says softly. "I hope he's alright."

Just as Sakura had predicted, a storm _did_ roll in last weekend. Horizontal winds knocked down foliage and buildings that hadn't been fully constructed, scattering streets with brick and wood.

"I wonder what's wrong with the guy."

Naruto doesn't get to surmise much longer. Kakashi steps out over the balcony, finally makes his appearance.

The thousands of test takers they'd started with had broken off into a few hundred. It was still a good crop—more manageable—but with the progression of the exams, more would soon perish. This round was going to be a difficult. It would have to be.

Kakashi couldn't upgrade so many people's statuses, even if only _half_ as many people were here.

"Congratulations," The Hokage calls out, letting his voice billow from speakers. "All of you have passed the first stage of the first Jōnin Exams. Your witty determination and raw power has brought you thus far. You have proved that, even as civilians—even with a lost comrade, you can still be a valuable asset to our ninja world."

Abruptly, the dull gray stone of the dome turned into a blue and white grid, transforming everything into a vast _nothingness._ Her heart pounded heavily within her chest and she looked around, searching for exits.

"Is this a free-for-all?" Naruto asks, gripping Sakura's shoulders. "What the hell is Kakashi thinking?"

Just as quickly as it appeared, the grids faded out. Sakura watches in awe as her feet are swallowed by lush, too thick blades of grass. A scent of freshly cut sod drifted to her nostrils—it was synthetic by only the slightest tang.

Beyond them, a grove of timberland rose high. The webbing above converted into a vanilla sky, complete with fluffy clouds and a white ball of sunlight. It slowly heated her skin with its warmth.

They were outside. They were outside…inside of the dome.

"What the hell?" Naruto asks, but he cannot say anything more. The confused conversations of their fellow participants die down as Kakashi's tone reverberated.

"This is our new battle arena. Do not familiarize yourself with the soft grass and pretty sky—you won't be so lucky when the exam starts."

He chuckles, but no one else shares his humor.

"As you know, this next segment will be completed in groups of two. You will be tested on your ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu skills. Each day you will receive a limited amount of chakra through the bracelets you're now being fitted with—use your energy sparingly and critically."

Golden bangles accumulated around her wrists just then, almost before Kakashi had finished his sentence. They were sparkling particles, digitizing round until they welded themselves whole.

As soon as the bracelets locked into place, a sealing kanji seared itself into the flesh of her forearm.

"E-rank through A-rank jutsu's will be permitted, so long as they are not outlawed or illegal. S-rank techniques are forbidden. You will not be able to expend that much chakra."

Furrowing her eyebrows together, Sakura raises her hand. "What is the reason behind this, Lord Hokage? If we are in actual battles, we will have full access to our entire power. Why are we being hindered?"

Kakashi replies almost immediately, as if he's been prepared for such questions. "You may encounter a situation where you will not be able to use your techniques. You may even have to come up with new jutsu on the spot. The Chunin exams may test all of your shinobi skills without limitations, because the missions associated with said rank rarely have obstacles that deny your access to chakra, or your entire skillset."

Sakura nods her head in understanding as he continues.

"In the life of a Jōnin, you will be put in situations where a single misstep may cause the entire downfall of your civilization. There is no room for mistakes. Learning how to handle complications with crutches is crucial."

That was true enough.

"What the hell is up with all of this new-age bullshit?" Naruto whispers next to Sakura as Kakashi continues. "I get that a Jonin exam hasn't ever been done before, but doesn't this feel like overkill?

"This seems like it will be a challenge for _everyone_. You and Sasuke won't be able to fly through here with any advantages. Now, it's "one-size-fits-all". She mumbled right back.

Kakashi thundered over the idle talk, pushing his tone to every colossal inch the dome had to offer. "I need the participants that do not have partners to step forward."

They do as their told, exiting the relative security of the group. Naruto, who stands lackadaisically beside Sakura, doesn't even flinch as singles brushed passed him. Sakura, however, defies the Hokage's command and wrings her hands nervously.

It was incredibly difficult to work on a couple with someone you didn't know. Your life was in their hands—and theirs, in yours. Pairing up with someone who was _lucky_ to be in the exams, and who had barely gotten by with the aid of well-practiced teammates would be a nightmare.

Especially considering the limitations Sakura would have on her own healing practices. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"I'll see you guys soon," The woman calls out to Naruto, turning towards the exiting people. "Good luck—."

A tight pressure bound her wrist.

* * *

Someone like Sakura was easy to spot in a crowd. Sasuke realizes this as he searches, finding a blob of pink relatively quickly.

It had been about a week since he'd seen the lot of them. The bathhouse incident didn't weight as heavily on his mind as it did in the beginning, but it was still partially the reason for his hesitance in joining the normal group.

Naruto wouldn't be too happy if Sakura had to work with someone she didn't know. Sasuke would be either—risking his life for a kid with no practical skillset was probably the most frustrating thing he could think of.

It was obvious what he should do.

Therefore, he does it, slipping his way through the crowed like a snake.

Sakura looked back at him with a flushed, confused face. Redness splotched from ear to ear and over the bridge of her narrow nose, causing Sasuke to pause. He was close enough to see the light color of her eyelashes and the creamy dots of sun kissed freckles. What was this look? It certainly wasn't gratitude.

She parted her lips. "Sasuke…you're here, I'm—"

Unable to express herself, the sentence dies in Sakura's throat.

The man standing before her with smoothed, framing locks and pale, healthy skin did not seem disheveled in the least. There weren't swollen rims under his eyes. In fact, he looked at her with _annoyance._

Sasuke wasn't angry; he wasn't tired, he wasn't happy to see her. He was completely, unequivocally, one hundred percent _annoyed._

"No thank you." The woman says, smiling gently. "I can find someone."

This: This was _exactly_ what he meant when he called Sakura difficult. It was just like in the bathhouse—in one moment, she won't let him touch her or see her nude, and in the next, she's pressed against him like a turtles' shell.

"Stop blathering." The man grounds out.

"I beg your pardon? You're not obliged to take care of me, no matter _what_ Naruto has on you."

Watching the exchange humorously, Naruto has to cover his mouth with the back of his hand. These two were beginning to act like a bickering, elderly couple. Sakura was headstrong and resilient. Sasuke was just as stubborn.

Sakura turns away from him, letting her long ponytail flit into his broad chest. It's like watching something from the _nature channel_. Naruto can hear the broadcaster now.

" _Oh no, it seems the female shinobi has denied the male shinobi once again! Look at this, look at this; she seems to be strutting away! What will the male do? His attempt at cornering her has failed, and he has no chance of swaying the female with that piss poor call. Huh—what is it now? Is he trying again?"_

The Uchiha watches her walk away, towards a group of people who probably have no interest or value in her life and willpower. It's not _about_ what Naruto wants, and maybe it hasn't been all along. Maybe Sasuke has fallen victim to another spell, the gravity of her pull, the magnetism of her spirit. He steps forward, calling her name.

"Sakura, _I_ want you."

Freezing, her body stiffens and her eyes bulge open from shock.

Sakura had always seen Sasuke as oblivious. He wasn't interested in girls or romance; he only cared for revenge and hatred. There is no more revenge to find, and no more hatred to hold, though.

Even still, Sasuke wasn't like that.

The people around them stare in bewilderment, wondering if they'd heard what came from the man's mouth. Sasuke is oblivious to prying eyes—he ought to be by now. The dark, firm gaze he sends to her makes her mouth feel frothy, and her stomach clench.

"Accept or don't. I'm telling the truth."

The woman doesn't get any longer to decide, however, because Kakashi had already begun. Wordlessly, Sakura ducks her head down and takes her place between Sasuke and Naruto. It will _always_ be her place.

"The arena, though big, can only hold groups of 20 at a time. We are estimating it will take three weeks for everyone to finish. I suggest using that pause to practice."

A weight lifts from her shoulders. It seemed Lady Luck would be on her side, after all. During their two weeks off, she hadn't had the time to practice with her battleax. Since Sasuke was going to be her partner, by choice, he'd surely help.

Before she can jump with glee, Kakashi continues. "We'll start today."

* * *

They were separated by partners and led to opposite sides of the coliseum. A crew of people directed the couples into changing areas, dressing each participant in a black, tear-resistant body suite. It was thick but breathable, offering dexterity and defense simultaneously.

Expert hands braided her long hair, pinning loose locks in no-nonsense folds. The top was long sleeved, but her bottoms were a pair of shorts she would never wear without a skirt on top. She tugged at the hems, drawing the aramid fiber away from her privates.

When the curtain around her was removed, she met Sasuke's eyes and saw that he was dressed in the same material, though he was covered in pants. Even his scowl mimicked hers; they both looked completely uncomfortable.

The material left nothing to be desired, after all

Sakura's eyes found his backside naturally. It was instinct: pure, animalistic instinct. Still, as natural as it was to stare, Sakura found herself blushing and coughing into her hand once he turned. She looked away as he turned to face her, crossing his arms.

"I hope they caught that on camera." He reprimanded.

 _I do, too._ She thinks. _That would bring in the viewers for sure._ "I'm just wondering why _you_ get to wear pants, and _I_ have to wear shorts."

" _Those_ aren't shorts."

Their bickering comes to a complete halt as everyone around them dissipated in a sudden burst. There's an arid texture to the air, which swallowed the cold breath from Sasuke's lungs. It was bright here—sunny, warm, _fake_. He turned his head up towards the artificial sun.

"We've already started?" Sakura asks.

"It would appear so."

* * *

The soil here felt like talcum powder. It smelled of rotten sod. The mixture dug into her knees as she hid, watching the strange and circular machine walk through the sand pillars beyond.

It groaned like a train, and was as large as a water tank. Moving with delicate steps, leaving only the smallest footprints in its wake, it easily plowed through dunes. It was a well-manipulated and articulate object—which made it all that more difficult to defeat.

Unexpectedly, the single bush she'd found shelter behind disappeared. Following it was a total collapse of data, a glitch, which flickered between various environments.

Landing atop an overturned tree, Sakura spun around just as a pincer split the wood in half.

"Sasuke, where are you?" She called as she rolled over dead, moist leaves. They stuck to her skin, battling wind as she sprinted deeper into the woodlands.

The word "Taijutsu" had been stenciled onto the objects metal chest. Its arms, which were thick bands of wire with a three-pronged claw at the tip, spun wildly as it stretched between tree trunks. Each branch the thing shattered only hardened Sakura's resolve—her bones would snap as easily as those twigs had.

A melodic voice singsong's directly into her mind, pushing out Sakura's calculating thoughts. _You have completed your first half of the battle. Nightfall will arrive in two more rounds._

"Uh…thanks," Sakura says aloud, not sure how to communicate appropriately.

This voice—this, _Cylan_ —had explained what its duty was before the Taijutsu machine had turned up to fight. Kakashi had kept the details of this round purposely vague, which was understandable. A place like _this_ was a bit hard to picture, after all.

Sakura folded her hands behind her head, trying to catch her breath. As she does this, the kunoichi scans for Sasuke, who had separated from her before bothering to articulate a plan.

Surely, by now he understood the importance of teamwork. It seemed as though he'd regressed during his time with Team Taka.

The crumpling sound of upturned earth forced Sakura downward, with not an inch to spare. Lurching forward, a coiled appendage took hold of yet another tree, smashing it brutally in its grip. Reacting, the woman wraps both arms around its limb. The exterior is cold against her chest and cheek, soothing the burn from the overzealous sun above.

As the object swings maniacally, Sakura calls for her partner. "Sasuke, damn it, this would be a great time for you to pop up!"

He doesn't, though, and she's unable to keep her grip on the smooth cord. By the time she's done flying through the sky, the temperature had dropped to an icy chill. She hits hard, covering herself in crunchy, icy folds of snow.

Thinking quickly, the woman stills, using her newfound blanket as a shield.

Sakura let a silent tantrum, clenching her muscles in frustration. Although her chakra bracelets would allow for bouts of strength (used to enhance her taijutsu); she couldn't get a close enough to do any damage! The frame of that contraption was too slick for a proper hold. She could use her chakra to hold on, but using too much would leave her drained and useless.

That chiming voice enters her thoughts once more. _Would you like me to open a direct communications route towards your partner?_

Sakura blinks and questions internally. " _You can do that?"_

* * *

It was freezing now.

The material of his uniform offered a good amount of warmth, but his face and ears reddened because of the nipping wind. His dedication paid off, however, because the telltale groan of gears on iron finally met his ears.

Jumping from his roost, Sasuke aimed for the contraption below. Its talons spread wide and spun into a blinding circle, sawing the air just inches from his boots. It was difficult to maneuver mid-flight, but Sasuke was nimble, and with a quick jerk, he managed to slam his foot against the smooth exterior.

Even with the weight of his body and the force of his jump, his kick didn't leave a single dent.

Falling to the ground, Sasuke ducked away from each stabbing footstep and tried to unsheathe his _kusanagi_. An electric shock rippled to his core, forcing his hand to retreat. Apparently, weapons weren't allowed against this Taijutsu droid.

Crowding his thoughts, the intrusive AI spoke.

 _Contestant 08 would like to communicate with you. Permission to open a direct route; denied or granted._

 _"_ _I don't know what that means."_ He answered with a frustrated hiss. Sasuke didn't have time to play with this sad excuse of a secretary.

 _Do you deny permission, or grant it?_

Pausing only for a moment, the man doubles down and grants permission.

Just like that, Sakura's less bothersome echo fluttered into the borders of his mind.

It was a strange, nostalgic feeling. For a moment, it reminded Sasuke of the dreams he used to have about her. When he'd wake up, clutching his chest, recalling a girly smile and a sorrowful voice that begged him to take her, too. It didn't sound near as sad this time round.

 _"_ _Sasuke, can you hear me?"_

A headache throbbed at the base of his skull.

" _Loud and clear,"_ He all but hissed.

Seconds before his words filtered through, a flash of a memory appeared. Silently she tried to make sense of what had just been shown—a glimpse of nude lips and shining white teeth…a droplet of water rolling down someone's cheeks.

" _Where are you?"_

There's not much time to respond, as his defense can only hold for so long. Blasting through rock, the machine sends pebbles flying. The stones cut Sasuke's skin, but he manages to slide under the object because of the unintended diversion.

Planting his palms in the slush, the man kicks upwards towards the bottom of the robot, using every ounce of his natural strength to lift it from the ground. It does not move. It does not cave in.

A spiraling pincer spins violently, heading straight to the Uchiha.

* * *

Sasuke was agile and cunning in battle.

Sakura had no qualms in admitting that she enjoyed him _more_ in a serious fight than the nonchalance of a spar. With her doe-eyes, she could see the physical strain in his muscles as he tried to lift the spherical monstrosity off the ground. Sasuke's hair was longer now, kept in place by gray wrappings that fell to a mound of snow below him.

The tea rose excels forward, heading directly towards the robots moving limb. Jumping powerfully, a faint green hue engulfs her petite fist. Just as quickly as a blink, Sasuke watches as Sakura appears in his line of sight and blows right through metal casing.

It's just enough damage to halt the cyborg, and Sasuke uses this pause fully. Gathering the kunoichi, the two ninja manage to roll away from a toppling impact before their bodies could be crushed underneath.

"Run," Sakura commands, pulling at his wrists. "Let's get some distance so we can work together on this."

As they bound, a downpour rains from the sky above them. Skin, already chilled by snow, became damp and slick with the next weather extreme. The sky turns dark in moments. Each step forward is a clumsy one.

The good news is that the groaning noise of mechanical gears does not reverberate around.

In the distance, an evergreen looms. Its branches are long and heavy with leaves, proving just enough cover to hinder the rain. By the time they make it to the trunk, every inch of snow has dissolved and muddy water lies in its wake.

Folding her arms behind her head, Sakura speaks. "This is a _bit_ too much."

Before answering, Sasuke lifts up the border of his shirt and wipes his face. It's not a lewd task—it's not anything that should cause heat to flare along Sakura's cheeks. Yet, it does. Turning away swiftly, the woman wrings out her long, braided hair.

It's too late. Sasuke's already seen the flash of his navel in his mind. Scrunching his nose, he growls to Cylan.

" _Turn it off,"_

It responds accordingly. " _Direct route, cancelled."_

"You can use your kekkei genkai, right?"

His _Sharingan_ was a bloodline limit, and though—by nature— it involved taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu, only his taijutsu tomoe was active. The strains of the chakra-seeping bangles around his wrists cut off a large chunk of his abilities.

"Sporadically,"

Slumping against the tree, Sakura thinks aloud. "I'm not fast enough to deal a damaging blow. You're plenty fast, but you don't have the strength."

"You can't use your jutsu very long, either. These bracelets will drain you." Sasuke adds.

"The same goes for you."

The lightning that crashes overhead is the spark Sakura needed. Raising her finger up, she pushes off her resting spot and belts out an idea.

"It's okay if you lose your chakra. Mine is the only one that really needs to be reserved—I can heal and deal the most damage right now. If you can use your _Sharingan_ to relay the information you see to _me_ , then I should have just enough of an advantage to split that thing in half!"

It's a preposterous notion. There were too many flaws to count. "I'm not willing to put myself in a position where I have to rely on _just you_ to save our skin."

Blinking, Sakura speaks without thinking. "You did when you fought Orochimaru the first time."

She watches his face contort into an expression she's never seen before. It was a mix of anger and hostility. "That was different. I didn't have a choice."

It _was_ different. Sasuke and Sakura aren't the same as they were back then. Putting his life in someone else's small, but damaging fists went far beyond his realm of comfortability. Sakura chipped his guard enough _as is_. There was no way he'd go back to being defenseless.

The shuffle of fabric, accompanied by Sakura's low drop to the ground pulls him from his thoughts. She hugs her knees. "Kakashi said that each day we'd receive a limited amount of chakra. Look at how dark it is now. The longer this fight rages on, the less energy the _both_ of us will have."

Thunder tumbles through the darkness.

Sakura digs her fingernails into the bare skin of her thigh, squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as she can. It was obvious that Sasuke did not trust her. It wasn't as though he was weary of her intentions—he knew there was nothing conniving within her interior. It all boiled down to strength. No matter how much proof was put in front of him, from her battle with Hinata and her spar with Jugo, he still couldn't count on her as he counted on Naruto.

That _fucking hurt_.

The kunoichi didn't have time to cry, however. There was a misshapen soda can looking for the both of them. Instead, she blows away a piece of her bangs and sets her firm gaze upon Sasuke.

"Whether you like it or not, you _are_ in a situation where you have to rely on "just" me to save you." She starts, rising up slowly from her position. "You chose me, did you not?"

 _I want you._

Sasuke crosses his arms and narrows his eyes.

"The way I see it, the weakest link in this round is _Sasuke Uchiha._ You can land hits all you want, but those butterfly kisses won't do a goddamn thing."

"Even _if_ I could tell you what I saw, Sa-ku-ra," Sasuke grounds out mockingly. "How, exactly, would you be able to react to it?"

There's a tension rising between them. They are both dominant in nature, but Sasuke can't be king right now. It's time of the queen to do her duties.

"That depends on how quickly you process what you see."

"Not quick enough to speak it to you."

The girl taps her lips.

From what she's read, the _Sharingan_ processes information in nanoseconds—possibly even quicker. The Uchiha brain was wired to comprehend that information. Sakura was _smart,_ though. She furrows her eyebrows.

"Do you know how I figured out where you were?" She asks him.

The question isn't laced with the same defiance as her previous statements. It's not rhetorical, either, so he's obviously waiting for an answer. Sasuke thinks, remembering the flash of his own belly button through Sakura's vision.

"The direct route,"

Snapping her fingers, the kunoichi smiles and nods her head. "That's exactly right. I recognized that boulder before the Taijutsu droid broke it. I also used some of my chakra to get there faster and save your life, but that's beside the point."

He rolls his eyes dramatically.

"Let's get Cylan to open that route again. I'll see exactly what you see, and if my theory is correct, I'll see it _before_ it actually happens."

There was so much that could go wrong. The hole in her hypothesis was in the idea itself—a theory may be based on evidence, but it's not fact. It's impossible to practice without expanding chakra pointlessly. It was not an easy choice.

"If we do this, and you get hurt, I won't be able to protect you." Sasuke says, caving in.

Brilliant green eyes pop in front of his face, swallowing him whole. "Let _me_ protect you this time. You won't regret it. Trust me,"

Heart beating fast, throat closing up, eyes growing blurry with anxiety and wet rain, Sasuke exhales his hesitations and thunks his forehead to hers. All Sakura can think about is how warm his skin is. She's afraid to move for fear that he'll startle and back out of their plan.

Sasuke could trust her. He could trust her with his motives, his dreams, his doubts and trepidations. She was not a fangirl that screeched his name and clung to his arm like a sleeve. Sakura Haruno was a medic, a veteran of war—a lover and a fighter.

She would fight for what she loved.

She would fight for _whom_ she loved.

Always.


	16. Chapter 16: The face of a warrior

Chapter 16: The face of a warrior.

Time was strange. It flew by on days off, where you had nothing to do but relax and do some spring-cleaning. Busy, bothersome tasks never seemed to last long.

Moments like this, however, ticked on.

Sasuke's outbreaths fanned her nose and lips. The pants were staccato at first, coming out in little puffs of fog. They were more relaxed now as he filled his chest and exhaled the fire within his lungs.

Sakura graciously accepted each one of the tingling, warm ruffles. His skin felt lush against her forehead. For the first time in her life, the woman was grateful for her "billboard brow".

"Okay," Sasuke says, taking his heat back. His eyes were clouded, showing no ounce of emotion whatsoever. "I'll trust you."

Hearing those words meant so much to her. " _Cylan, can you open a direct route again?"_

" _Contestant 08 would like to communicate with you. Permission to open a direct route; denied or granted."_ The melody chimed in his head.

" _Granted,"_

That happiness is short lived, however. Without warning, a flooding of thoughts invades Sakura's brain.

It feels as though her head is just above the water, and her feet can't quite touch the ground. She's drifting off, farther past the shores, deeper into a great unknown. Pressure suffocates her chest. She can't breathe, she can't breathe, she can't—

The aftershock of a panic attack floods over her emotions, ripping apart her heart.

Sasuke probably had no clue that his feelings are being sent to her. She looks up at him, watching as his eyes scan the area around with not a single wrinkle on his face or shake to his hand.

How could he be so calm? How could he hide his emotions so perfectly? Sakura clasps her chest, fighting off the secondhand anxiety. She closes her eyes, fighting off thoughts that could be transferred to Sasuke.

The chaos within Sasuke should be a private affair. By now, the girl knows him well enough not to pester him with inquisitiveness.

"The treetops are shifting that way." He says steadily. "I can't hear anything, but that's our best bet."

Gulping, the kunoichi nods, promising to offer silent support. "Y-yeah,"

Taking to the trees a moment later, the ninja follow broken branches over slippery bark, searching for their pray. The gust of wind on her face soothes the redness of her cheeks momentarily. They still had a long ways to go before these exams were over, and there was no time to worry about things that didn't involve her.

The only light available to them was the bright glow of the moon. It did its job well enough, but the forest took on a monochromatic theme. Everything turned grey and black in the rays of moonlight. The change seemed to fit the mood accordingly.

Looking for a silver object, no matter how much and loud it was, would be difficult under these blurry, rainy conditions.

" _Do you think it's being quiet on purpose?"_ Sakura asks internally, graciously accepting the calm tide of Sasuke's mind.

He doesn't flinch or turn towards her, instead, opting to answer within. " _I wouldn't doubt it. Nightfall must be a last-ditch effort to end the round."_

Just as soon as the sentence enters her head, a vicious crash breaks away the next foothold ahead. There's not much time to react—the ambush could have very well been the end of them both.

It seems they were equally distracted.

Sasuke watches as the machine darts out, slamming it's appendages into every solid object within its proximity. It swipes its limb in Sakura's direction, aiming to maim or separate the two. Reading its intentions was beginning to become child's play.

Destroying it, however, was a much more _difficult_ task.

" _Flank it,"_ Sakura hears Sasuke command. There's no use in questioning his response. The woman ducks away from a spinning claw and does as told, crouching low to the machines left side.

The air seemed to still, like the calm before a storm. The artificial grass below didn't catch against a breeze. The trees didn't rustle or shake. Even the robot halted its rampage in careful calculation.

Adrenalin flowed through Sakura's veins like a drug, causing every hair on her body to stand in excitement. It had been a long time since she's felt such raw passion. Leaving the stadium in once piece was not a likely option for this thing.

Sakura would make sure of that.

Sasuke attacked first, leaping high into the trees nosily. His distraction allowed Sakura to near its thick shell. As she approached, the closed indentation on the top of its body opened, revealing a curved glass that undoubtedly saw 360 degrees around him. That was undoubtedly how the object could react with such precision.

She cursed as a tubular arm neared her, and listened to the quick play-by-play her teammate provided.

 _"_ _Spinning claw, it sweeps its left leg—no right leg. Watch out for the hook, it's on the move again and about to jump—no it's changing trajectory. Dodge the left claw. It's aiming for the shoulder. Duck your head, duck, jump, duck again."_

Sasuke's thoughts were invasive and difficult for her to follow. Though he had correctly seen the imminent movements, they reached Sakura _just_ as the spins and kicks landed. She ended up reading them in real time, which didn't help at all.

Sasuke's point of view mixed into the pot as well. He had tried interpreting and explaining the information simultaneously. She was a brilliant woman, arguably the best medical ninja of her generation. Yet, even _she_ couldn't deduce the data.

All it did was confuse her.

In a daze of sensory overload, the kunoichi hesitates. It is a dangerous mistake. Seeing it's opening, the androids grappler lurches forwards, successfully capturing her upper thigh tightly, digging into the supple flesh. A cry escaped her lips as it clamps down.

Sakura could feel the give of her meat and bones, which distorted and threatened to overflow under the pressure. Driving chakra to her hand, the woman manages to grasp the iron and halt its wrath, but she cannot free herself. Its metal was wet from rain, just as her gloves were.

If she were to slip…her entire leg would detach. There was no skirting around it—she'd been apprehended.

" _Damn!"_

Sakura had told Sasuke to trust her. She had promised to take care of him. It was impossible to anything in this machines grasp. Her worries and anger seeps into Sasuke's head.

" _Stay calm."_

Sasuke habitually went to draw his sword, but the chakra bangles zapped his skin. It was painful, but not enough to stop him from moving. His initial plan was to wedge the weapon between the prongs of the pincers, but he couldn't bypass the rules. Taijutsu robot only accepted taijutsu moves.

Watching through damp eyelashes, Sakura sees Sasuke run up the length of the androids leg and slide down the arm that had trapped her. There is no vigilant scheming in his next action. He does not think of the pros and cons of sliding between the tines and wedging her out. Sasuke moves on impulse, reaching for his teammate.

A flash filters into his head. It's his spikey hair, his boyish back, his arms spread wide as the Demon Brothers powered forwards. It's his high collar and tight arms, holding her as they ran away from Orochimaru.

 _"_ _Sasuke_ , _stand down!"_ The girl pleads.

"Sasuke, don't!" She calls aloud.

Sakura saw the hooks start spin wildly as it built up an air-splitting saw. They had no options left. Sakura could lose her leg, save Sasuke's life, and be of no use. Sasuke could take the brunt of the force and wait for Sakura to heal him.

Or…Sakura could save herself, and deal with consequences later.

With secondhand memories of his previous sacrifices blaring in his head, Sasuke watches as Sakura rips her leg from the android hold and fillets her flesh. The wound, which is too deep to bleed just yet, shows off the pinkish gore of fat and muscle.

She does not have time to worry about pain. Grabbing Sasuke by the shirt, they both plummet towards the ground to avoid decapitation. Like cats, the shinobi lands on their feet, giving Sakura a few seconds to slap her hand over her gash and stop infection from setting in.

"Stay close to me." Sasuke demands gently, knowing that Sakura doesn't have the chakra to heal herself as she should. Her injury would certainly slow her down.

Chest to back and her head inches from his chin, their shadows enmeshed into one—there's no start and no end. In this position, Sakura feels that they are a unit. With her body taking critical hits, and his reacting expertly, this enemy couldn't possibly be around much longer.

"Let's end this, _cha_!"

With an unpracticed mimicry, Sakura keeps herself flush against Sasuke as he moves and leaps towards their foe. He reads her movements like a book, lifting her when they needed to dodge, and twirling her body like a weapon to get her disastrous fists into position.

The weightlessness of Sakura's physique in his hands was _mesmerizing_. Sasuke knew how easy complete control could be attained. With the right chakra flare, it was possible for the man to make even the strongest of ninja crawl on the floor at his feet.

There was nothing forcing Sakura into this submission. Of her own free will, she let Sasuke bend her form, dig his fingers into her hips, and toss her high into the misty air.

Sakura's uninjured leg ripped through the machines thick metal like a finger through tinfoil.

Dropping back down, Sasuke makes sure to catch her. The lithe female descends to hold that was reserved for newlyweds on their wedding day. His heat covered her sopping body.

"Good job," he praises, setting her down. "A couple more of those and we'll have this thing beat."

 _"_ _Use me."_ Her thoughts transmit. "If we can take out one arm, it will help us tremendously.

With a heave, Sasuke rotated Sakura around, sitting her unabashedly upon his shoulder. He could feel the exaggerated breathing. The kunoichi did not have the chakra to spend all day fighting. She couldn't physically be tossed around much longer. She couldn't handle another serious wound.

Both watch as the globoid frantically waves about, leaking out fluid. "If you need to catch your breath, I can distract it."

It embarrassed her to say, but she admits it anyways. "I'm fine resting on your shoulders—unless it hurts!"

Placing his hand on her thigh, right beside her gash, he pats it. "The arm looks like it's connected by joints. Can you remove it?"

She didn't know. As hard as she had kicked the covering earlier, it had hardly opened up. The appendages wouldn't be quite so durable, would they?

Sakura, feeling determined, slid down the front of Sasuke and pressed her back to his front. "Let's find out, shall we?"

Reacting immediately, Sasuke wrapped his prosthetic arm around her, speeding towards the taijutsu robot at a pace that Rock Lee would be proud to see.

When he neared, Sasuke boosted her up and she maneuvered mid-air, snaking her body to avoid a thrashing arm. She managed to grasp the left limb as it slammed back into the ground, and she tried her best to wrap around it completely. Her arms weren't quite long enough to link with each other.

The thick outer covering was still saturated. Her soaking fingers could not support her weight.

Sasuke saw her dip lower while she struggled atop the bucking tube. When she neared the ground, he glided beneath. " _I'm giving you a boost._ "

The man drove his palms to the bottom of her thighs, forcing higher. With the pressure from her fingers lifted, and those extra few inches, she was able to straddle the object right at its joint.

She sent him a thankful glace, which he distractedly ignored.

Black boots slammed into the smooth iron and she _pulled_. The satisfying strain of wire against metal met her ears. Her muscles screamed with the pressure, threatening to rip from the force. They do their job, however, as thousands of pounds of force dislodged the attachment. It severs the wires and electrical currents in one fell swoop.

Syrup-like liquid drains from its tubes, coating Sakura's boots. She has nothing to hold on to as the globoid rebels, so she falls.

As she plummets, Sakura angles her body, ready to hit with heavy force. Sasuke, however, does his job by catching Sakura just before her injured legs could pound into the earth. Over his shoulder, Sasuke maneuvers the girl, dodging the machines appendages as it slams craters into the digitized floor.

Sasuke was an expert in avoidance, both on _and_ off the field.

Three bounds away, and with Sakura safely by his side, Sasuke eyed the broken cyborg. Sakura had dealt a lot of damage, but they weren't out of the woods yet. With this new opening, she could attack the weaker side while he kept the attached extremities busy.

He took a step forwards, but didn't get very far.

Without warning, the damp soil turned into a soggy marsh. His feet sunk deep into the pit, leaving sticky residue to swallow the thick material of his pants.

 _"_ _This is really starting to piss me off."_ Sasuke says, and his irritated tone filters through Sakura's head.

" _Why does this environment keep changing? It doesn't mimic real-life situations at all!"_

 _"_ _You say that, but you experienced Kaguya's dimensional transport firsthand."_

Sakura coughs, focusing her eyes on the enemy, dropping the conversation.

The Taijutsu android is delayed almost twice as much as they are; the heavy body was not suited for a mud bog. With that speed, she would undoubtedly be able to land another solid hit. Sasuke may be stuck, but it didn't mean _she_ had to be.

"Throw me, Sasuke." She says as she jumps into his arms. Her sudden weight almost knocks him back, and if it had been a lesser ninja, it would have sent them deep into the grime. This is Sasuke Uchiha, however, and he's learned to handle her mass _by now_.

He helps her to his shoulders once more as she kicks off her boots and socks into the mire. Her bare feet would get much better traction on the smooth plated iron. The mud that covered it was bound to dry in this welcomed, sweltering heat.

"Throw you," he says wearily, not bothering to hide his trepidation. "You're sure?"

She's feline, balancing atop his broad shoulders easily. They have time to discuss a better plan, but Sakura is adamant. So far, her strategies have been flawless. Sasuke was in no position to doubt her antics now, no matter how strange they may be.

Sakura places her hand and in the crook of his neck, and extends her right arm. With their conjoined grip, right hand in right hand, her naked left foot presses into the center of his chest. She's preparing to use him as a springboard.

"I'm sure. Use me," She repeats aloud, ignoring the warmth of her cheeks. She would die of embarrassment if the situation were different. Sakura's sure that he understands the meaning behind her words, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to reiterate. "I'm not a weak woman. If you get me there, I can end this. "

As she says this, his fingers curl around her palm. His hand is so much bigger than hers is. _He_ is so much bigger than she is.

 _"_ _When did this happen? Weren't we practically the same size not too long ago?"_

Sakura can feel the strength that hides beneath Sasuke's muscles. She was all too aware that the shinobi she was perched upon had become a man—a fine man—a man his family would certainly be proud of.

Without meaning to, Sasuke hears her admirations. It was strange to listen to such thoughts, especially at a time like this. They were genuine, though, and not meant to impress in a conspicuous way. He's sure she has no idea just how much this "direct route" was projecting.

Glancing up to the kunoichi, Sasuke keeps his thoughts tamed. He doesn't think about how _she's_ grown, too, or how feminine she's become, no matter how true it was. If Sasuke's parents could be proud of their traitor son, Sakura's family would certainly admire her medical prowess and strength.

They had to stay alive to gain their respect, however, and this battle had gone on long enough.

With a powerful kick and an expertly choreographed lob, Sakura propels herself over the marsh and plows directly into the android. Her body hits the monster precisely.

The small gash she'd put it in earlier peels apart from her fist and she collapses into its core. Her emerald eyes blink rapidly, pushing the metal shavings from her vision as she takes in the interior of this robot.

It's a mess of coils and cables, all different colored. Components move against one another, grinding and pumping artificial life. The android thrashes, attacking itself from her intrusion. Sakura narrowly avoids a loose tine as it collides with a hydraulic compression chamber. Hot steam sprays her arm, burning the skin.

She claws at the contraption viciously, pulling wires and short-circuiting it from the inside. Its barbs stab—repeatedly—penetrating itself so fully Sakura has to bend in odd directions to keep her own organs safe.

She sees a thick tube and in her rampage, she clasps it between her teeth, detaching the nozzle and sending a spray of hot oil flooding between her lips and to her eyes.

Sasuke feels her frustration as she relays her thoughts unintentionally. Her mind is thinking of old things—their first mission together in the Land of Waves. He sees his lifeless own body there, adorned with senbon.

He's on the forest floor, sweating out a fever that might as well have killed him.

He's in a hospital bed after waking up from a come-like state.

He's on the ground, with blood gushing from his arm and tears that aren't his own stain his cheeks.

A rippling surge of grief almost brings him to his knees. The pain in his chest is one that he'd only felt a handful of times, and it hurts so much that it almost feels physical. " _What is going on?"_ Why is she thinking these things?

Flashes dot in and out—him falling from Rock Lee's battle into Sakura's arms, his agonizing scream as he pressed against her prepubescent body after Orochimaru's bite, her watchful gaze over Naruto and himself as she tried to reduce their fevers.

Sasuke understands now.

Only an hour ago, Sasuke relayed his unbridled doubt about Sakura's ability to care for him. He had…he had the audacity to downplay her.

She was inside of that thing, thinking these memories, feeling the incredible urge to protect a man that did not want to return her affections. The same man that, had once, second-guessed saving her life and with a slew of other deplorable actions.

The Uchiha's were an emotional bunch. They had the ability to love unconditionally, and hate wholly. Sakura had the "love" phenotype associated, but her heart could not carry abhorrence as well as his could.

Sakura was a lover in the purest sense of the word, and every ounce of that passion was directed to Sasuke _._

It belonged _only_ to Sasuke.

Her love was _his_ , whether he could return it or not.

Finally, after the mechanical entrails are thoroughly severed, the automaton glitches and jerks to a halt, rolling into the goopy quagmire. Sasuke's boots slosh onwards and he reaches Sakura quickly, pulling her scorched body from the wreckage and drawing his too-tight shirt away from his abdomen and towards her cheek.

He wipes the seared flesh on her face and she curls into his muddy heat, enjoying the pampering even though she's been burned to the first degree. The adrenalin starts to wear off and the split on her thigh, her dissolved skin, and her aching muscles—they all start to throb in pain.

The slop beneath them turns into grass once again. The sweet scent of rain fills her nostrils and mixes in with the bitter oil smell that blinded her vision and charred her mouth. She feels the raindrops as the pelt her, helping Sasuke wash away the grime as thick chucks of marsh fall from his pant legs to the terra firma below.

Sasuke uses his thumbs to dab her burnt eyelids. He notes that, even though the skin is pink and raw, her eyelashes are tangled into each other healthily. They survived the liquid scald, and it's _good_ , because he'd always thought she'd had the thickest lashes he'd ever seen. He didn't find them so detestable and juvenile anymore.

Patches of splotchy, new skin shine under the patting fabric of his shirt as he scrubs. Her chakra had probably healed the worst of it, except the cosmetic aspects. Sasuke is a bit surprised at this, remembering how he'd always thought of her as the superficial type. He smirks.

Her emotions and willpower went far beyond the length of her hair and the raw flake of her incinerated skin. She is as brutal as she is protective, and perhaps she always has been.

"How do I look? I'm cute, aren't I?" Sakura asks cheekily, too tired to keep herself upright or help him remove the caked on grease. She lets him take over her body; her tired limbs are no longer up for the job.

"No."

With thick, cakey dye seeping into her pores and her eyes stuck together, opening asynchronously from the goop of whatever that _thing_ ran on, he thinks she looks beat to hell. She has the face of a warrior, however.

He thinks, " _Cute doesn't do her justice."_

His words bounce around her head and she rips her eyes open painfully in disbelief.

Deep down his soul, Sasuke finds her worn exhaustion, her bloodied lip, her gashed thigh, and her bruised arms and neck much more attractive than a clean and prim damsel. It shows off the determination of a shinobi.

His sudden thoughts filter into her mind. Panting bodies, roaming hands, deep pressures that mar her skin—confusion causes her eyebrows to knit together.

In Sasuke's eyes, she watches as he slides his view down her throat, to the humble dip of her cleavage and the sliver of skin that peaked out just below her bellybutton.

Sakura _felt_ it.

Now, as sweat coats her skin and her hair is a splayed out mess, Sasuke _desired_ her. He desired her in a way that friends, comrades, _teammates_ should not want. Maybe Sasuke had been tempted by the indecencies of Otogakure. Maybe, in his time away from Konoha, he had experienced sex in a way that stemmed beyond the biologic need for reproduction.

It's foreign to her.

Yet, an undeniable _want_ ebbs within. She's not sure what to do with it or where it's come from, but her body reacts accordingly, feeling the exhilaration of what could happen in the serenity of this landscape.

When her fingernails scrape the fabric of his top, and her eyes start to glow a strange hue, Sasuke takes notice of her lips. They're lush and soft and spellbinding, like everything else about the black widow spider below him.

He is moments away from being entangled in her web and falling into her pull when Sakura's thoughts dance into his brain. They float in like clouds, or perhaps, cotton candy. She thinks about first kisses, about the butterflies in her stomach and the pounding within her cage-like chest. They want different things. Sasuke wants _now_ and she wants _forever_.

Cylan rings within Sakura's head. _Contestant 8, Contestant 5 is no longer connected. I will direct you to your lodging now._

From 0 to 100, Sasuke's suggestive mannerisms turn volatile and he pushes Sakura away. It is the last thing the girl expected. She was high upon cloud 9 one moment, and tumbling through cold wind in the next. The flop was dizzying.

"What?" She asks, watching him walk away in the misty midnight dew. Her fingers curl and her eyebrows knit together. "What's your problem? Hey!"

There wasn't a problem. There was only a solution, and distance would always be Sasuke's go-to. Disgusted with himself, the man walks, listening to Cylan drone on.


	17. Chapter 17: Who are you?

Chapter 17: Who are you?

Straining her sore muscles, Sakura peeled off her tight jumpsuit like snake shedding its skin. The wound on her upper thigh was inflamed and burning something fierce. She figured she'd better keep her mind off it. The chakra that she needed to heal it wouldn't be distributed until the next morning, after all.

Her aching, dainty foot met the smooth porcelain of a bathtub. Steaming hot water already neared the brim and it almost overflowed with her added mass. She lowered—deeper and deeper until nothing but her brilliant green eyes and the gentle slope of her nose were exposed.

This bath would not soothe her, however. Sasuke had caused too much turmoil.

History could not be ignored. Their history especially, considering just how entangled their lives had become. Growing up in the same village meant they were bound to come in contact at least once. Destiny had tied them together _even further_. Just how far would destiny take them? Just when Sakura was sure Sasuke hated her guts, he managed to flip back around and complicate things all over again.

Groaning, the woman scrubbed away at her body, ignoring the sensitive cells that she reformed after the hot oil had melted her skin. Sakura had to admit, after such a tedious fight, a nice soak was _amazing_. It also helped ease her troubled mind.

In a way, she felt like she was being spoiled. Sure, only her basic human needs were catered. As a ninja, she'd spent many a night on dusty earth and went days without cleaning.

Survival was a Chunin trope, though. That's why the Forest of Death was such a big part of the exam. Her second try at becoming a Chunin had been similar, too. She, Ino and Choji had wandered across Suna's excruciatingly hot desert with little to no supplies.

Fighting was the name of _this_ game—and fighting strategically was very hard to do. Sakura understood where Kakashi was leading her peers. Some battles would have to be fought without chakra. Some battles would have to be fought against strong and intelligent enimies.

Immersing completely, the kunoichi ducked under, trying to keep her thoughts preoccupied.

* * *

The Uchiha eyed his surroundings skeptically.

Popping up just like a scenery change, the room appeared from data. It was rudimentary, containing only a bed, a dining table, and an area for washing up. Compared to the last exam he'd participated in, this one was quite accommodating.

He scarfed down his meal—never the type to savor the taste or dwell on the smell. (Unless it was _natto_ , in which case, _fuck that_.) It was a simple bowl of broth and noodles, piled high under steamed vegetables.

Sasuke ambles towards the corner, lying down on a thin mattress that was too soft. Hair, still wet form his no-nonsense shower, stuck to his cheeks uncomfortably. There was nothing to do but rest, though he was more emotionally tired than physically.

Slowing his breathing and sealing his lids, the man fell into the beginning stages of sleep only to be rudely interrupted.

 _"_ _Contestant 08 would like to communicate with you. Permission to open a direct route; denied or granted"_

"Denied," Sasuke hissed aloud, sitting up suddenly.

Just like that, he was thinking. The calmness of his mind raged with emotions, and those terrible little nymphs that brought out the worst in him—his discretions, his sins, his turmoil.

What could that woman want so late in the evening? There were pressing things at hand, like rest, because morning would come soon enough. He did not have the energy to talk with Sakura. He did not _want_ to talk to Sakura; especially not after his thoughts had been infiltrated.

 _"_ _Contestant 8 is asking for permission to open a direct route; reject or agree?_ " The melodic, fabricated thing asked once more.

"Reject," Sasuke all but snarled. Standing, the man throws his pillow angrily onto the mattress and runs his fingers through his hair.

Sakura was delicate. Sure, her fists could shatter bone, and those kaleidoscope eyes could kill, but underneath that brutal exterior was a gentle soul. For Sasuke, those clenched fists uncurl and plea for him. Those green irises are like Venus flytraps, capturing his own stare within.

In a different life, Sasuke could have loved her. Looking back, he can almost feel the red thread that connected them start to braid. With every mission they were sent on, with ever smile, touch, and wave, he grew more attached to the innocent, loyal girl. Perhaps he cannot destroy that thread, but he _can_ untangle it.

The man washes his face in the sink and stares at his reflection. If someone were to draw him, he would have narrow eyes and bold eyebrows. His nose, although straight, has the slightest of bumps from repeated breaking. Lips, fuller than average, belong to his mother—it's a trait Itachi shared as well.

In his Uchiha blood, he is designed to be visually striking. His pale skin and dark hair set the grounds for neutrality. When his _Sharingan_ blazes to life, the eye has a natural reaction to stare.

Killing is easy, after that.

Sakura is just another victim. Their bodies react to one-another like God had intended them too. Sasuke wants to touch her, because she is attractive to him on an animalistic level. There's nothing more to it. Scientifically, chemically, and physically, they're bound to collide.

The last person that deserved such heartbreak was Sakura Haruno. Sasuke knew that distance was necessary—it had always been.

Patting his face dry, he makes his way back to the bed.

* * *

Genjutsu: Illusionary techniques, in which a ninja controls the chakra flow of a target's cerebral nervous system, thereby affecting their five senses. Chakra is normally necessary, but on a battleground where the terrain can be switched into all sorts of overwhelming images, genjutsu can be replicated.

Sakura mentally repeats this knowledge as she dodges a snapping, quadru-articulated prong. The Genjutsu Android 1 [GA1] shook away ceiling rubble from its paws, leaving a huge gash to the outside. The hole showed only grid—no sky, no stars.

It had been mere moments ago that she was sleeping soundly. The worst part was that she'd been in the middle of a wonderfully inappropriate dream. Chaste kisses and trailing hands gave way to a spray of drywall, which disappeared and left her wide open to attack.

An arm—one of the _four_ the droid possessed—tried to clamp down on her torso. Sakura managed to roll off her cot as it disintegrated into oblivion. As strong as her body was, the kunoichi couldn't handle another injury.

She was vulnerable. Using taijutsu was strictly prohibited at this point. The only affinity Sakura had for Genjutsu had been recognizing the flaws—under such a manipulated area, that became moot.

The girl ran, pumping her arms as she unsuccessfully tried to communicate with her partner.

"Cylan, please, try again!"

It only takes moments for the silvery voice to respond. " _Access is not granted."_

Sakura's thought fanatically, taking in the object trailing behind. It was on the move, its tracks grinding against the nothingness of the gridlines beneath them.

While TA1 had been completely circular, bipedal and bi-articulated, _this_ oval droid moved on tracks that resembled a tank. Four arms sprouted from its body. The large, multidirectional camera from the previous version was bigger now. It stayed transfixed to Sakura's slapping feet, never straying.

Naruto never ran. Even in the direst of situations, he was strong enough to turn and fight. Because of his dreams and ambitions, there was no reason to flee. There would be nothing to gain by hiding his tails.

Sasuke was smart enough to take in all of the facts. How strong was his opponent? What did he have to lose? Was the risk greater than the reward? The reward for him had always been someone else's downfall, however—he was doomed to fail.

Sakura sucks in a cold burst of artificial air. She was not made to fail. She was not the hero, the antihero, or anything in-between. This woman, formed from earth, ash and blood, was a kunoichi.

The pinkette ran towards the machine.

Thrusting chakra to her fists was technically classified as ninjutsu, if it was narrowed to less than the size of her hand. The line between medical chakra control and chakra enhancement was _small_. Sakura had always been praised on her chakra control. There was no room to mess up here. This was not a test.

Worst-case scenario: she'd be brought to her knees from the shock her bracelets would emit, and promptly stomped into a wet humanlike goop.

That was simply not an option.

Feeling her chakra seep along the outside of her knuckles, Sakura dodged a flailing limb and hopped upon the metal cord, sprinting up the length of it. The green hue ebbed shakily, taking all of her concentration to maintain.

One good hit. One good hit would damage this _thing_ long enough for her to find Sasuke.

Heaving back, Sakura uses every bit of her frame to fall into her punch. Her fist doesn't land, though. Instead, it's thwarted by a crushing weight across her abdomen. With a winded gulp, she tried to escape the feeling of drowning. The picture of the gash on her leg takes place of her torso; her ribs crunch, her organs shift.

Blackness fuzzed the outside of her vision and in a wild fit of panic, chakra blooms to her arms and hands. The voltage that stings her from the inside out is just enough to force her into unconsciousness.

" _Sasuke,"_ she yells into her head, hoping that there was _some way_ to reach him. " _Please!"_

* * *

Sleep had captured him for only moments. Sasuke knew this, because the clock on the white wall beside him had only ticked by 10 minutes. It was difficult for him to fall into a deep sleep, but that was of little importance right now.

Standing up for the second time that night, the man crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. He'd heard something…or someone, perhaps. During his travels, his suppressed moralities had flown back full force. Guiltiness must have been weighing on his chest, so much so that rest was impossible.

Sitting on his thoughts for only seconds, he shakes away the doubt and calls out to Cylan. " _Let me talk to Sakura."_

 _"_ _She is not able to communicate at the moment."_ The voice responds dully.

The revelation does not sit well. " _Why can't she?"_

 _"_ _Contestant 8 is incapacitated."_

Something about this sets Sasuke's stomach on fire. It feels as though puzzle pieces were coming together. As stern as Sakura had been, she had never purposefully pushed the limits of their interactions, even as an obsessive pre-teen.

With no time left to dwell, he ties the laces of his boots swiftly and heads towards the door. Once it opens, the motion repeats itself. As if two mirrors sit in front of one another, doors fly wide, leading to nothing but a shrinking rectangular void.

Throbbing behind his eyes, chakra activates his genjutsu tomoe. Uchiha can see through deception, but this is atypical mind games. The artificialness of the world he took his first step into was just as solid as the bed he'd rested on. It would not disperse my normal means.

Running with no other choice, Sasuke sets his sights ahead and ignores the crumbling backdrop as it swallows the shadow of his footsteps. The doors bleed into a hallway, leading him to something beyond.

The air of this hallway is stale. It reminds him of hide-and-seek with Itachi—hiding in the linen closet, his staccato pants echoing. Beyond the bland scenery, a line of pink stands out.

He knows immediately that it's Sakura.

Lying supine, Sasuke comes across her dazed form. Her eyes were open and jaded. The effects of a chakra-based genjutsu were obvious. This woman had always had an affinity for disbanding illusions, except the most powerful ones. Whatever this robotic creature had done to her went beyond mindfuck-terrain. With his _Sharingan_ blazing, he monitored the fluctuations of her chakra, searching for distress.

Sakura's chakra was mint green. The center of her system fluttered like a caged bird, and unclear energy clouded the passages of her mind. While everything within seemed pastel and soft, the dark cloud that hovered over her heart and head contrasted.

Sasuke walked towards her after surveying his surroundings. By now, the ninja knew this was a basic trap. He would try to help his comrade, only to be ambushed and trapped himself. Sasuke was an Uchiha, however, and his _Sharingan_ was much stronger than any kind of illusion. It would be child splay to enter Sakura and pull her back out—two minutes, tops.

Physically opening her eyelids, the Uchiha entered the robot's genjutsu.

* * *

Sakura's head was as bright as her chakra network. Light seemed to stream from every direction, blinding him. The coolness of his skin warmed—this heat was nothing like sunshine or electric coils. It went past his muscle and bones. It tingled.

Rubbing his arms, Sasuke wandered in the radiance, looking for a flash of pink.

Invading someone's mind, in normal circumstances, led him directly to their spirit. There was no sign of Sakura anywhere. Although his legs were moving, without any object to look at, it seemed like he was standing in place. Sasuke was not enclosed, and yet, the asthmatic feeling of claustrophobia weighed heavily on his lungs.

As beautifully bright as this place may be, it was incredibly…lonely. It wasn't the traditional type of lonely, either. There were no gates, no gloomy clouds, nothing to explain the trapped feeling.

Turning to try a different direction, he spots a blip of gray in the distance. It stood out in the whiteness, gliding towards him like a celestial, otherworldly being. The shape of a human appears, and with each sashaying step, Sasuke recognizes the bland apparition.

"Sakura," He says, testing her name on his tongue. It looks like Sakura…but _unlike_ her as well.

Sasuke looks at the monochromatic woman in front of him. Her forehead was marked in kanji and her skin was colorless. The expression that spread across its face portrayed abhorrence—it's something he has never seen from her before.

This must be a part of this robots genjutsu. The inner spirit copied the outer _exactly_. While the likeness of this thing was uncanny, the color was nonexistent.

Scanning the object, he's genuinely stunned to see the familiar flicker of Sakura's pastel chakra system.

Sasuke was cocky and narcissistic; he had no qualms about admitting it. He was rarely deceived and seldom lost. He trusted his power and his brother's eyes. There was no denying what he saw.

The form before him was as solid and realistic as any human would be, without anything that bound it to reality. His instincts were battling against his vision. She was not the _real_ Sakura, but she was _real_.

A growl escapes his lips. "Who are you?"

The spirit laughs right in his face. She mimics his teammate well, even in accent and facial expression. Her ashen tendrils were tied in a braid that was twisted over her shoulder. She played with the paintbrush end, twirling her finger around it in a habitual fidget.

"I'm Sakura…but a different _part_ of her."

She approaches and Sasuke does not withdrawal. The scent of cotton candy fills his nostrils. He recognizes it instantly, remembering that Sakura used to smell like the fluffy treat long ago. It reminded him their days spent lying in the dewy grass of training ground 3. Sakura would try to inch closer, as if he wouldn't notice.

Her fragrance was much too strong for a proper ninja. Her skin was too soft, her hair was too bold, and her eyes were too sunny.

"She calls me **Inner Sakura**." The words come out like a purr. As though she's a lioness and he's but a mere sheep, this spirit circles her prey. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He stared at the black-and-white embodiment, trying to comprehend. "You don't belong to genjutsu."

"It's not a question, but I'll answer regardless. No, I have always been. I will always be. I am everything Sakura wishes she could say. But you're not here for me, are you?"

Without waiting for a response, the phantom turns to walk off. Her hair is the color of starlight, and it dances down the length of her small, feminine back. Every step draws attention to her wide-set hips. Every tapping footstep leads her farther away, and entices him to follow.

This Sakura does not need to see if he follows. She knows that he will.

Snuffing his pride into smoldering embers, his feet move forward.

With this new guide, the ins and outs of Sakura's mind don't seem so lifeless. Instead, there are shining reflections from walls that lead down different paths. It reminds him of Orochimaru's hideouts; snaking twists and turns that deter the unwanted.

Sasuke was obviously wanted. There was no pressure on his soul, like when he infiltrated anyone else. Instead, it was as though he could go deeper with his eyes clothes and his body lax.

The man wondered how he would feel if someone roamed about _his_ head. Itachi had played scenes of murder repeatedly, ripping him to his core. Nevertheless, he never delved through memories or feelings as he could have—as Sasuke has done.

Sasuke had many sins and regrets. Sometimes, thoughts would pop up that didn't belong to him at all. His dark roots would manifest hateful comments and immoral acts, whether he genuinely felt the need to them or not. Sasuke would be lying if he said that living in the Sound Village hadn't affected him on all levels.

Mentally, the ninja allowed himself to be studied and examined. He wanted power at any cost. Every boost had its own adverse effect, the yin and yang of life did not have exemptions. While Sasuke was immune to poisons, it also meant he could not get high, he could not get drunk, and he could not drift out of realization and find peace in inebriation. While Sasuke could hide his outward emotions flawlessly, it also meant he found it difficult to express them when needed.

Following the bouncing nymph, he thinks of what Sakura wants, and what he refuses to have.

Caring for someone did not mean that you loved them. Love was more profound than that. For someone who had not truly experienced the pain of loneliness and isolation, it was impossible for Sakura to relate to him at all. Even _Naruto_ could never understand his exact pain.

Of all of the people in his life, Naruto and Sakura would always be the exceptions. Neither interested him romantically.

 _Nothing_ interested him romantically. Fucking was just like drinking _sake_ ; it was a way that others used to escape, and a path Sasuke couldn't relate with or travel.

Because of this "Cylan"—because of their interlocking thoughts, Sakura had felt the dark side of him—the raw emotions of someone who found no pleasure in romance or love. Someone who…enjoyed the heavy pants that escaped her and the plumpness of her lips, no matter how the trauma had occurred.

He hated himself for it. It disgusted him. There wasn't a single person on this earth that deserved to be with someone so immoral. Sasuke wipes his brow with his bandaged hand, shaking away the plaguing intrusions as he focused on the mission.

 **Inner Sakura's** voice cuts through the air. "We have to go through her memories."

Just as the words fall from her mouth, a fuzzy shape forms within the invisible, glossy wall beside him.

A birthday chorus floats around from when Sakura turned five. A man with purple hair stands beside the little thing, holding out a slice of cake. " _Make a wish!"_

Stopping, Sasuke eyes the young child. Her hair covers her forehead and eyes completely, making her look like a shaggy dog. " _I wish—."_

 _"_ _No!"_ Her father stops her. " _You must say it in your head."_

From inside of her head, Sasuke listens to her request. "I wish I was someone else."

"Are you coming?" **Inner Sakura** calls back, turning on her heel. "She won't like it if were hover here too long."

The gravity that helped him move so effortlessly is now a heady pressure on his skin. Sasuke gets the impression that Sakura _does_ want him to hover, regardless of what her separate spirit claims.

Ino from a childhood Sasuke knew nothing of, bleeds into life before him. She ties a red ribbon around to maintain Sakura's bangs, and then prods at her forehead.

 _"_ _It's silly to hide that wide billboard. Just embrace it. Who cares what the bully's think?"_

 _"_ _I'm scared though, Ino."_

Crossing her arms, **Inner Sakura** seethes. Her fury is not directed towards him. "Fine, let him watch it. It's not going to do a damn thing though!"

Sasuke obliged as her adolescence reflected in the passageways. He watches as she runs from her father after breaking an antique vase. He watches her splash a thin arm around in brown water, pretending to bathe because her grandma stood outside the door. It looked icky.

Insignificant things keep filtering around the two of them. It was bits and pieces of a childhood that didn't seem bad or good, just _real._ Yet, the compression of his chest only squeezed harder the older she got. He sees himself as a child, shooting her an annoyed glare with _onigiri_ rice speckled across his face. It was an awful look from a young, orphaned boy. It hurts him secondhand, as though the emotions little Sakura felt were being projected into _him._

"I should hate you." **Inner Sakura** says suddenly, clenching her fists tightly. "You're just like everyone else. Because I have no _reason_ to hurt, my pain isn't valid. I hurt, though. I've hurt since I was just a girl."

Perhaps…Sasuke understands what this entity is now. In the luminosity of Sakura's mind, her opposite thrived. Caliginous and impure, the manifestation ruled the land with no color to her skin, and no happiness in her heart. The rage and depression of her childhood morphed into the being before him. This **Sakura** said and did what the other couldn't do for so long.

"You should." He agrees.

The soul before him was born out of pity, isolation and self-preservation. Sasuke, too, had two fighting spirits. **Inner Sakura** had not won, but **Inner Sasuke** had.

Sasuke did not look at **Inner Sakura** with sympathy. He knew the gaze all too well. He was the last Uchiha that stood at the mass funeral with pitying villagers all around him. Their tears fell out of obligation, and not sadness. So no, Sasuke did _not_ feel sorry her. He looked at her with empathy, because he finally _understood_ her.

"You should," He says once more, and then continues. "Nonetheless, I'm grateful that you don't."

Her silver cheeks grow darker, and the apparition looks at him with dove-colored eyes. "She thought that you should see this, because it is her true self. It is a past she's ashamed of, and perhaps it will cancel out the thoughts you accidentally projected unto us."

Sasuke blinks, but says nothing.

"If you're not mad anymore, maybe next time she calls through Cylan, you won't ignore her."

"I wasn't ignoring her."

 **Inner Sakura** rolls her eyes. "Is that the same statement for all three times?"

Closing his eyes, Sasuke prods his outer body. It seems as though a minute has passed in real life. As much as he'd like to go back and forth about this topic, there were other pertinent things at hand.

This **Sakura** was still the Sakura he knew to the core. Deciding to catch her with honey instead of vinegar, Sasuke shows her his irises and offers a rare half-smile. "I'll thank her personally for her candidness. So, take me there."


	18. Chapter 18: The right Sasuke to trust

Chapter 18: The right Sasuke to trust.

Looking into Sasuke's eyes, Sakura realizes they are the same ones she fell in love with so long ago—flint, specked with grey ash, and void of any kind of empathy or compassion. His sophisticated eyebrows drew together with hatred that seeped from deep in his core. The hands that had protected her as a girl, now wrapped around the narrow of her neck. Sakura can feel him collapsing her trachea as she struggled to breathe. Each second chipped away at her lifespan.

It seemed he'd been squeezing for centuries. Oxygen stopped circulating to her muscles long ago, which caused her hands to still. They could only dangle limply by her side as exhaustion overcame her. The sandman lulled her in with the promise of an eternal sleep. Nothing had ever been so enticing.

For the first few hours of her strangulation, Sakura had fought, as one would. No matter how hard she hit and kicked Sasuke, he simply wouldn't budge. Her words wouldn't reach him. Her fist couldn't harm. The man had become a hellish being that did not react to the naturally to trauma.

His flint eyes never wavered. His face never changed.

Throughout all of this, Sakura feels a shine of dark humor twinkle in her gut. It was an incredibly poetic and tragic way to die—one that should be on the soap operas played for elderly women.

 _Oh, sweet soul that dies by an unrequited hand,_

 _May the Gods have mercy on your soul!_

 _Cast your pity upon thee and delight in your normality!_

 _Woe is she. Woe is she._

To add to the oddness of it all, Sakura finds her mind reveling. Near death, she still finds the heart to indulge in silly awes. She hadn't been close to Sasuke's face in a long time. Besides their almost kiss on that stone bench, before Team 7 had even started, Sasuke had remained elusive and resigned. They'd been enimies, unrequited enimies.

Sasuke Uchiha was tragically beautiful. His exotic, narrow eyes and sharp features could trap even the purest of maidens. He'd never been one to use his looks as a trump card, but he _could_. That was just as devastating.

Closing her eyes, the woman accepts her fate. Sasuke and Naruto were powerful enough to get what they wanted, and if her death was yearned by his grip, fighting was impossible. Sakura is alone and afraid.

No.

"Sakura, hang on!"

Opening her eyes wide, Sakura looks for her own familiar voice. Beyond the vast whiteness of her mind, **Inner Sakura's** monotone hue bounds forward with fervor. She's too far to make any physical difference, but her plea gave the woman the epiphany she needed.

" _He's just an illusion."_ Sakura says, glaring at the realistic ghost before her. _"He has no power here."_

The grip around her neck is not painful, and her weightlessness doesn't hurt. Physically, Sasuke cannot hurt her. Challenging this revelation mentally would require her other half's aide, however.

 **Inner Sakura** was everything sad, bad, and strong that Sakura tried to draw out. **Inner Sakura** could save her.

Sasuke removes his hands from her neck and Sakura falls to the floor. Sucking in air that did not exist, the kunoichi rubs her neck. The sound of a thousand birds manifests. Sakura closes her eyes.

 _"_ _This isn't Sasuke."_

Sasuke wasn't cruel. Sasuke risked his life and his aspirations for both Sakura and Naruto's sake. Sasuke Uchiha was broken, but not evil. Sasuke poked her forehead and smiled genuinely—" _Thank you,", "I'm sorry,", "Maybe next time."_ —he wouldn't hurt her.

This Sasuke's not real. This Sasuke's _not_ real. This Sasuke's _not real._

…he _feels_ real.

It wasn't as if Sasuke had never hurt her before. He had done this exact same thing in the Land of Iron. He wanted to kill, her friends, her family, and all the people of Konoha to avenge the plight of his clan and sorrow. Sasuke thought Sakura was weak and a nuisance.

 _"_ _You're annoying."_

 _"_ _Don't you think you should be training?"_

 _"_ _You could never understand my pain."_

Sasuke could hurt her. Sasuke _has_ hurt her.

The lightning crackled, searing her skin. Hot tears streamed down her face hopelessly. She is a tired soul, coming to terms with her broken heart. Love meant nothing if the person you cared for thought lowly of you. Love didn't conquer all. Love was for the birds.

Just then, a body shoves her away. **Inner Sakura's** hands grasp her shoulders so tightly that she has no other option but to look up and into the reflection.

"We know Sasuke won't hurt us." She says sternly. "Stop this pity right now."

"He _has_ hurt us. Why is this time different?"

Sasuke can hear them speaking to one another. All humans have this internal debate with themselves. Uncertainty and trepidation could devour your heart whole without some sort of backup. All he can do is sprint forwards, following the starlight left by **Inner Sakura**.

"This time is different, because _Sasuke_ is different. We have never known him as a healed man. He is changing. He won't regress."

Sakura's real voice is the weaker of the two. It is brittle and mournful. "Sasuke was healing when we were a team, too! We laughed together. We smiled, and slept, and bonded just as any other team should. He retreated and went back on his words."

Sasuke sees them. In the plainness of this space, where he'd seen nothing but overly bright objects and gloomy grayscale apparitions, Sakura stood out like a beacon of warmth. His feet, though they run, neither move closer or farther away. He is on a conveyer belt, standing by idly as his own reflection prepares to strike.

What happens if _both_ Sakura's die? Is that the end of her mental state?

Mute and trapped, Sasuke watches **Inner Sakura** turns towards their enemy and accept her fate. "Naruto never gives up, and never goes back on his word. That's his nindo. Sasuke's nindo is justice, and he won't stray from the right path ever again."

Silence has never been so loud.

A burning, wet liquid coats the top of Sakura's chest and neck. Sakura feels fingers grip the material of her shirt, digging in painfully. Fearfully opening her eyes, she sees the blackened hand of the unreal Sasuke, pulling at the material above her navel.

He reaches through **Inner Sakura.**

His hands are coated in her blood.

Too stunned to react, Sakura can only stand paralyzed as not-Sasuke heaves sideways and rips his arm through **Inner Sakura** 's ribcage without loosening his grip on her top. The entity drops to the floor in a crumbled, destroyed mess, staring blankly with frozen eyes.

It's as though apart of her has died. **Inner Sakura** was everything that Sakura wished she could say and do. She was powerful, strong and brave unapologetically.

She is gone.

Baring those flint eyes into his next victim, not-Sasuke raises his hand once more. His clothing is stained with black plasma. He does not show one ounce of humility or grace. "You're next," The man says.

Feeling helpless, Sakura closes her eyes and waits for death.

When it comes, she's surprised to say that it was…pleasant. Death embraced her like two strong arms being wrapped around her shoulders. Death smelled of wood smoke and sage. Death puffed hot breaths of air over her neck.

"I've got you," it says, squeezing her tightly.

His voice is husky and undertone, only loud enough to spiral into the shell of her ear. She blinks slowly, relishing the heat and the flutter of her lower belly. Not-Sasuke is gone. The brilliance of this space does not turn dark and dreary, but instead, it bleeds into purples and pinks with hints of blue. Stars speckle around, like her mind is becoming a galaxy of possibilities and endless adventure.

"Sasuke," Sakura says, looking at both the bandaged and unbandage arms that encircle her. Not-Sasuke was whole. Not-Sasuke had no _Rinnegan._ Not-Sasuke was evil, mean, and _fake._ "You're here?"

"I'm here." Sasuke replies as he burrows his nose against the smooth line of her throat. The wetness of his lips leaves a trail on her skin. "I made it in time."

Turning around slowly in his grip, Sakura slides her cheek against his and presses their noses together. Brushing away his forelocks and tangling her fingers within them, Sakura exposes those unequal eyes, just to be sure.

They did not belong to him, which meant he was real. Sasuke's had greys and speckles. They'd been replaced by Itachi's, who were dry pools of endless obsidian.

Sharing their exhales and inhales, Sakura fists her hands into his shirt. "Was I hard to find?"

He raises his hand to her face and runs his thumb over the drops leaking from her eyes. "Not hard. You were just far away."

Without warning, another body presses into his back and digs its face into his spine. Sakura feels the entity beyond Sasuke. When she touches the monotone figure, their bodies begin to merge.

"We're not going to be separated anymore," **Inner Sakura** says. "You don't need to suppress your thoughts and actions."

Pressing her face into Sasuke's chest, Sakura speaks back. "What do I do if I become lost? I don't want to be alone."

Inside of her head, her own voice answers back. " _You have friends that will find you, no matter how deep you fall."_

* * *

Opening his eyes, Sasuke looks at his hands after escaping the genjutsu. Gentle pants fill the air, coming from Sakura who still lays supine. Her shoulders shake from the emotional roller coaster they've both just experienced.

The feel of her skin had been so tangible in her mind. Looking back, he isn't quite sure if her spirit led him to that embrace, or if that he wanted himself. Sasuke had never felt the urge to hold someone, broken or not. He was the last person anyone would find shelter and comfort in.

Sasuke himself never found shelter or comfort in anything but redemption. Alcohol stopped stinging. Drugs lost their potency. Fucking was just as dull.

If it was so dull, then, why did Sasuke have thoughts of Sakura in such ways?

Batting the thought out of his head, the man tries to wake Sakura up. "Hey,"

Face contorting from unseen emotion, Sakura seems to arise. Her eyes open one at a time. They are promptly rubbed with the heel of her hand. Exhaustion evident, Sakura hides her blush from Sasuke's view.

The genjutsu she'd been in was enthralling. So much so, that she wasn't quite sure if any of it were real, regardless of how she felt. The awareness rained down full force.

"How-how long were we out?"

"It was ten minutes from the last call you made to me through Cylan." He begins. Then, staring at the back of her head, he continues. "It took me about five minutes to get to you."

She covers her mouth with her hands and captures a deep exhale. The fringe that falls from her braid is enough to hide her eyebrows and eyes. As she ducks from his gaze, another strange craving prods at his heart.

He wants to see her face.

Sasuke had never been so at odds in his entire life—except perhaps when he learned the truth behind Itachi's massacre. This was a different type of confusion, however. Sasuke _knows_ he needs to push Sakura away, and yet, he wouldn't be complete without her. Like Naruto, she is important to him. Her admiration, her longing, and her unwavering emotions have always been a foundation he could return to.

It was like plucking petals from a sunflower—should he, or shouldn't he?

Sakura surveys herself in the silence. Her thigh is still wrapped in gauze, though it's disheveled from the battle with GA1. The tips of her fingers are blue from unconsciousness. Her legs feel like they overflow with static. Her heart won't stop pounding.

The man takes in her weary condition and looks up to the void sky, planning their next movements. "We need to rest."

Sakura nods and brings herself parallel with difficulty. It would be impossible to rest here, after all. The threat of ambush was ever looming, especially since [GA1] hadn't been defeated. Still, rest meant separation.

"I don't trust sleeping alone again."

A gruff question falls from Sasuke in response. It doesn't sound like he meant for it to come out. Rather, for it to come out the way it did. "Do you trust sleeping with me?"

An awkward tension rose like a turtle peeking out of its shell. Neither made a motion to move or speak, not sure how to address each other. They were teammates. Sasuke had chosen her, for whatever reason. Any normal two-man mission would involve sleeping in shifts, in close proximity. There wasn't any reason or time to play games or semantics.

The woman bites her thumbnail, saying the only thing that could redeem this situation. "Of course I trust you."

"How do you know I'm the right Sasuke to trust?"

Stiffening, the muscles inside of Sakura's body seize up. It _was_ real, then. Sasuke had gone into the genjutsu and brought her back. He had seen one of her hidden fears. He had consoled her and let her touch him in ways she couldn't have dreamed of in any other situation. _He_ was the real Sasuke, both in and outside of her head.

How did that make him feel? What was it like to be someone's fear? Sasuke wasn't as emotionless as he put on. It must have hurt.

Looking up into the nothingness sky, she responds. "Every Sasuke is the right Sasuke to trust."

Because, when Sasuke abandoned the village, it was to get stronger. When Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi, it was for the sake of his clan. When Sasuke wanted to "kill" Naruto, his body hesitated, knowing it was _wrong_. When Sasuke wanted to "kill" Sakura, she felt Kakashi and Naruto's approaching signatures just as he raised his hand.

Every Sasuke is the right Sasuke to trust, even if it doesn't seem like it.

Standing slowly, Sasuke looked past Sakura's shoulder and into the abyss beyond. She cannot tell if her words do anything to appease him, or if he's troubled all. Hoping that they do, she listens intently to his words. "Obviously they want us to sleep in lodging again. Trees and grass aren't offered as shelter."

She sticks her thumbnail back into her mouth and speaks around it. "We can stay in the same lodge…if that's okay with you. Taking rounds will make it easier on us both in the long run."

He nods in response, watching as data constructs four walls and a door once more. The fact that it appeared just as they came to a decision meant there really wasn't any privacy here at all. Finishing this round was better the sooner it happened.

Opening the door first, Sakura unsurely peers inside. The layout was a bit different from the room she'd stayed. There was a single bed, full-sized, along with a larger eating table. Steaming hot food sat atop a bamboo steam rack.

"There are buns inside," She calls after sniffing. "It must be a trap."

Sasuke steps passed her to thwart any ambushing arrows, scanning the room for rabbit creatures or enimies. It's silent, but not ominous.

"Clean your wound and get some rest."

Sakura thought that, maybe she should have rebutted. Sasuke had gotten more rest than she had, but his doujutsu ate away at chakra. Ducking her head in surrender, Sakura enters the restroom and closes the door tightly behind her.

It is muscle memory. Preparing for rest and dressing injuries did not need an ounce of mental stimulation whatsoever. Cupping her hands, Sakura captures the water that flows from the faucet and washes her face in the mirror.

Oh, that mirror, that mirror that did not discriminate or lie. It showed back a view that Sakura did not always want to see. Disheveled hair, swollen lips, and tangled eyelashes from sweat— her exhaustion was beyond evident. Using her fingers to comb through her braid, Sakura disrobed and headed for the shower.

Sasuke watches Sakura exit in a plume of steam. One foot in front of the other, the woman wades to the bed lethargically, as though she's already asleep. He doesn't bother offering her food. Realistically, they'd only eaten hours before.

Sakura kicked away the blanket until it gathered at her feet, sleeping above the crisp sheets. It was probably something that she'd always done, but he'd never bothered to care. Like a bunny building its nest, the woman lifts, folds, and kneads until the pile becomes sleepable.

The second her head dips down, she's already out.

A thought trickles into his head in the muteness of this room. In the corner, curled under blankets, Sakura could sleep so serenely next to someone that had been her enemy. Sasuke had raised his sword, his voice, and his hand to her throat. He had abandoned her, dismissed her, and ridiculed her feelings.

It was obvious that she had her trepidations. Genjutsu was a powerful thing, but it only worked against you if your fears were large enough to build up on. A room full of death and cadavers wouldn't bother her.

The man she loved plunging a _Chidori_ through her stomach, would.

Shaking his head from the dark path his thoughts headed down, he searched for a clock. The walls were bare. Sasuke was always a no-nonsense sort of person who found no use in decorations. Even still, he at least owned a clock.

 _"_ _Time is different here_." Cylan says, with no prompting. It is always listening.

" _How can I tell how long we should rest, then?"_

 _"_ _Rest until you're prompted otherwise."_

Sakura needed sleep. Beyond physical exhaustion, her mental state by now must be wearing thin. Between Cylan's direct route to their thoughts and the genjutsu she fell under, it would be doubtful she could keep walking away from it all.

Stamina was something Orochimaru had hammered into every nerve ending of Sasuke's network. Endurance, in all aspects, came natural to him. Looking at Sakura, he could tell she didn't have it quite so easy. Her delicate structure sent him back to a forgotten memory that seemed hidden in the recesses of his mind.

When he was a child, Itachi had brought a kitten home. A heavy rain had befallen Konoha, and he'd heard mewling just beyond a street gutter. The white ball barely fit in the palm of his brother's hand, too timid and tiny to fend for itself.

Fugaku had turned it out, stating that nature did not negotiate. If it was destined to drown, then such was life. Itachi was obedient, unlike Sasuke. As soon as his brother abandoned the cat by their muddy porch, the rebellious boy swooped in and stuffed the kit in his pocket.

For two weeks, in the wee hours of morning, Sasuke would milk his aunt's goat and let that kitten drink from his pinky. As time passed on, the run became strong and it was ready to face nature with no handicap. The cat had relied on him. It would nuzzle into his heat, breathing the same way Sakura did now…like it felt safe in his presence.

What had he done to gain such trust? _Sakura_ caught him when he fell. It was _Sakura_ slapped sense into him, knew the right route to take, understood how every action had an equal and opposite reaction. How could Sasuke not be the kitten in this situation? Why was he so skittish when it came to her?

He stood and walked to the bathroom, needing some escape. He eyed the mess of self-adherent bandages and antiseptic spray thrown on the counter haphazardly. Leaving the door open, just in case another surprise was imminent, Sasuke keeps busy by cleaning.

With ritual movements, he rolled the tape in on itself and wiped the counter clean. Capping the disinfectant and throwing away the empty wrappers, he re-traced Sakura's footfalls, looking for any other things he could tidy. A shoe here, a stray bandage there…she'd somehow fallen asleep with her right boot on.

Before he knew it, he was standing by the bed, reaching for her foot before he could stop himself.

Sakura, who was half-covered, had her upper torso tangled in the duvet. She might have been suffocating for all he knew. With steady fingers, he works on her laces and yanks the blanket back, repositioning it properly over her sprawled out body.

Sometimes, the way the others speak of her makes Sakura seem like a child. Naruto sends letters explaining how he'd have to bring her meals because she slept through them at work. Kakashi scuffed her hair, their peers teased her height and shape, and even Suigetsu was astounded that the woman was the eldest of Sasuke and Naruto.

 **Inner Sakura** , though not prevalent in her attitude any longer, must have had a lot of turmoil to deal with.

Sitting in the floor, he curled his legs underneath him lotus-style. Meditation would keep him from sleeping, and leave his body active enough to thwart any ambushes. If he kept listening to her breathing, and relating her to soft pets, he'd have half a mind to lay down with her.

Sasuke had never had the urge to sleep with a woman in the least sexual sense of the word before. Sakura was many firsts.

Slowly, the coils of tension unraveled, and stress that plagued him flittered into nonexistence.

* * *

It felt as if Sakura's head was being split in two. The headache throbbed relentlessly, ebbing from the nape of her neck to the front of her skull. With the pain too prevalent to rest, the woman awoke and examined her unfamiliar environment.

She was cold, dressed only in a thick pair of tear-resistant shorts and a long sleeve shirt with "08" on each shoulder. She held her forehead in her hand, letting pink bangs knot in her pale fingers. She wiped the dampness that had gathered overnight.

"We need to head out."

Sakura whipped her head around and saw Sasuke standing behind the table, holding a shower-rod in his hand.

Realization almost sent a groan past her lips. It was still just the second day of the Jōnin Exams, part 2. Her body ached from trauma and soreness. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she lifted her gaze back towards her partner and hoped she looked better than she felt.

"What's that?" She asks, gesturing to the pole.

Her feet were always the first to get up. Sakura swung her slender legs to the side of the bed and let her toe tap around until she felt the smooth floor beneath.

"I've seen Naruto wake you up before."

Sakura felt a genuine laugh bubble out of her mouth, and before she could catch it, the chuckle resonated around the room. Shaking her head and pulling the hem of her shorts down a bit more, cleared her throat.

"That's probably a good way to do it. I don't like being startled…"

Sasuke threw the dowel onto the ground and wiped his eyes, sending blood back into the slightly purpled skin. He didn't look tired in the least, but Sakura knew how coy the Uchiha could be. Your body couldn't lie. "Don't you need to rest? Come lay down."

Before he could refuse, the walls disintegrated around them. Wind whipped around as though a storm was imminent, and the groan of metal on metal forced both ninja to double back just as the cabled arm of GA1 slammed into their previous position.

"Are you kidding me? I just woke up!" She yelled.

Sasuke leapt onto the limb without hesitation and activated his kekkei-genkai, ready to end this battle swiftly. The glass panel that exposed the androids camera suddenly hid into its body, successfully hindering the blazing red _Sharingan_.

Sasuke cursed, making his way to the freshly immersed depression at the top of GA1's body. He held on as the machine bounced and dipped in an effort to remove him, trying to wedge anything large than his fingernail into the crevice without avail.

GA1 would not attack itself, unlike its predecessor. It seemed as though they were evolving, actively processing information that could deter Sakura and himself. The longer the fight lasted, the more they knew.

It was a dangerous dace.

Sakura watched as the agile Sasuke back flipped away from each fatal slam. His eyebrows were knit in a rage he probably only reserved for melees and bouts of fury.

In the blink of an eye, he flickers towards her. It was strange that he decided to use such a chakra-sapping technique. The heat from his body warmed the tops of her covered arms.

"Open it up," he says. "You're stronger than I am."

Nodding, the woman cracks her knuckles. "It has to open its visual porthole to fend me off. I can't use taijutsu or ninjutsu against it, though."

"When it opens up, I'll catch it. I can use my body-flicker to move you out of the way if you're compromised." His unspoken words were, " _I'll watch after you."_

Letting Sasuke take her arm and swing her around, Sakura propelled towards the incredibly powerful droid as nothing more than a decoy. With Sasuke in the vicinity, it was less likely to open its eye. Still, Sakura kept a weary lookout, not wanting to enter its genjutsu again.

With all those appendages flailing around, dodging was near impossible. Each one aimed for a different part of Sakura—her foot, her arm, and even her stomach. The rolling wheels backed away as she progressed.

"Destroy the wheels first," Sasuke tells her as he covers her back. "Keep it from fleeing."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, six arms barreled towards him. He was more of a threat, after all. Its multidirectional camera peeked out only a sliver, but it was just enough for Sakura to take notice.

"It's opening again." She called as Sasuke magnetized the bottom of his feet with chakra. He ran up the length of an arm, _Sharingan_ spinning, only to become captured in a pincer-like caw. Flying through the air, he prepared to roll upon impact.

It seemed it really _was_ trying to separate them. If he had too much distance away from Sakura, GA1 would try to abduct her to either kill, or force her back into the never-ending repeat of his hands around her throat.

Neither were good options.

 _"_ _Cylan, open a direct route."_ The kunoichi commanded as she watched Sasuke hit the ground. She kept her eyes closed tight, listing to the robot as it neared.

Hearing Cylan's question, Sasuke allowed their minds to interchange and sent Sakura a question. " _What's the plan?"_

" _Keep it busy. If I can take off some of the arms, it won't have anything to throw at us."_

Accepting her expertise, Sasuke rises from the ground and rubs his sore rib. Keeping his kekkei-genkai activated the man forces his way to the frontlines, ready to juke and duck.

Each wave and hit looked delayed with his eyes. With an expert leap, Sasuke bent his body through a looped tentacle just as another arm followed. The machine became twisted in its own wires, leaving only four of the six branches mobile. That should help Sakura at least a bit.

Said woman was climbing. Her hands were sweating and slick when they tried to curl around jutting protrusions on GA1. She isn't aiming for any of the limbs, however, and this causes Sasuke to question her actions.

 _"_ _Change of plans."_ She transfers to Sasuke, working herself upright. " _Be ready,"_

The camera was almost completely submerged now, leaving only a small ledge that only her pinky could wedge between. If Sakura could pry open that aperture, she could trap the android just long enough for Sasuke to come and aide.

She narrowed her chakra into the single digit, using as much strength as she could muster to pry the opening from its body. It groaned in retaliation, shaking as it fended off Sasuke and reached for the top of its head simultaneously.

The opening lifted just enough for her ring and index finger to slip underneath, and with one final tug, the entire portal burst forth. Sasuke caught the object in his genjutsu almost immediately.

While GA1 was immobile under Sasuke's prowess, she worked on removing each arm, driving chakra to the thick muscles of her thighs as she heaved. One by one, all six cords detached and fell to the ground with a screech. It was much less gruesome dismembering a robot than it was a human, that was for sure.


	19. Chapter 19: You slept well

Chapter 19: You slept well.

Sakura felt her stomach drop as the machine tipped. Sasuke seemed to have finished his intrusion as well, because he came up beside her right as she hit the ground. Pumping more chakra into her fist, the kunoichi ripped a gash into the exterior of the machine so they could look inside. Sasuke stared at the mess of wires and pumps, which stood motionless from his genjutsu.

"Do you see that?" He asks, pointing towards a green bottle of bubbling fluid. Sakura reaches for it, but Sasuke halts her hand. It was liquefied chakra, contained in a thick glass vial. "Don't touch it. All we need is your face to melt off again."

She scoffs. "It didn't _melt_ off. It _peeled,_ like a banana."

He rolls his eyes and looks around some more, finding a power cord on the wall. With a—"God Sakura, you're such a dumbass for pulling apart every single wire when there was a power cord _right here._ "—type of look, Sasuke unplugs the cable.

It was the most emotion she'd seen in his face since their childhood. Only _he_ would be able to communicate so fully without saying a word. Sakura felt both proud, and offended by the look. "So, what do we do now?" She asks.

Sasuke sidestepped her and made his way out of the robots core, falling to the ground beneath. As soon as his feet hit, computerized fragments turned into a soft billow of snow, rising up to his knees. The sudden shock of cold sent every hair on his skin to stand at attention.

Sakura peeked from beyond GA1, watching as a trail of snow parted under the weight of Sasuke. She was wearing long sleeves, but her shorts were much too short to trudge through the frost.

It completely frustrated her. The men were allowed to wear thick, warm pants and the women wore nothing more than panties just long enough to cover her ass cheeks and uh-oh. She tugged them down, forcing the fabric to ride lower on her hips before falling into the powder below.

She sees that he's creating a wide birth, using his hands and arms to shove away the frost, as though he's well aware of her situation. She smiles, because he probably didn't notice he was being so chivalrous. Perhaps it stemmed from a childhood she would never know about.

Perhaps it was like a polite, traditional dinner where no one spoke and ate only what was given. Respectful bows to his mother and father before he left the home, and when he arrived. Maybe he did old-fashioned dances, took bow-and-arrow lessons, and participated in tea ceremonies?

There was so much to learn about Sasuke Uchiha.

Before long, their room appears amongst the snow. They shake the fake fluff from their clothes at sit at the table together, where food is already sitting. Steaming Udon sat under her nose, sending the hearty smell of fried tofu and fish cake through her nostrils. Sasuke slurped up a dense noodle and looked at her, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" He asks.

He was never the type to show obvious concern or obvious emotions besides anger. Sakura couldn't say the same for herself.

They had been through a lot lately. Still, Sasuke ate across from her without trepidation or qualm. It was as if everything was normal…as if, sharing a meal together wasn't strange at all.

Since Sasuke had come back, they had touched and spoken more than they ever had in the entirety of her life. Before the exams had even started, they'd had contact. She embraced him, confessed to him, and during these examinations, they'd had even more exchanges.

Sasuke had been inside of her _mind._ That was as intimate as two people could get!

 _No…not really, there's another thing._

Shaking her head in embarrassment, Sakura hides behind her bowl.

This wasn't Naruto in front of her, who relished every contact and smile sent his way—be it from his wife, friends, or admirers. This was Sasuke. He didn't like to be brushed against or smiled at. He was the type of person that savored solitude, and was never tethered to anything for too long.

Sakura thought that was incredibly sad.

She wanted to be his friend. She wanted to complete the exams and succeed with Sasuke by her side. She wanted to watch him leave this time without feeling empty and useless—like she was nothing if he was not near.

Sakura could play his games, too, even if she savored every contact. She could pretend that she didn't notice the way her stomach fluttered when he came close. She could pretend that their interactions were normal, like she didn't _feel_ Sasuke's perversions while their thoughts were linked. Where would that leave them? They'd walk in an endless circle of nothingness.

It…wasn't as if Sakura and Sasuke would have to get married if they acted on their feelings. Times were changing. It was okay to be human.

Putting down her soup, she answers back. "I'm just confused."

The shinobi doesn't ask her what she's confused about. He wasn't going to pretend to be a therapist. He wipes his mouth on the corner of his napkin and heads to the bed, calling to her over his shoulder. "Wake me up in a few hours." Then, he adds, "Keep your mind on the task at hand."

Smiling at his back, Sakura accepts his words as helpful and not offhanded.

The dark man pulled the sheets back and slipped into the warmth, taking his own advice. The room was cool; probably to simulate the weather outside, but it wasn't uncomfortable. He listened to Sakura eat, thinking of the final boss battle.

TA1 and GA1 had been taijutsu and genjutsu based robots respectively. While TA1 only allowed for physical-type blows with no weaponry, GA1 had permitted illusionary techniques. If this trend continued, he'd be able to use _kusanagi_ the next round for sure.

Sasuke wasn't a fiddler. He did not gnaw on the inside of his lip when he thought, nor did he shake his leg or rub his chin. Sasuke stared off into the distance, letting the cogs of his mind grind as he mentally prepared for the battle at hand. It was the best way for him to fall asleep.

* * *

The room was unbearably chilly. The fabric covers on the couch made the backs of Sakura's thighs feel like ice, and as the night stretched on, she found that her arms and legs physically began to tremble. Each minute dropped the temperature a half-degree.

She eyed the thick blanket atop of Sasuke's feet, yearning for its warmth. Sasuke was sleeping comfortably under the sheets like a lunatic. It wasn't as if he'd miss the covering. Still, she knew better than to take it. Sasuke had just fallen asleep after staring at the ceiling for hours. She almost thought that he slept with his eyes open, but they eventually dipped closed with time.

With no other plan of action available, Sakura decides to shower. Realistically, it would only take a few minutes to scrub down and run back out. Sakura had been the one to tell Sasuke that being alone wasn't a good plan, especially after that random attack. The air around her was frosty to think straight, though. Sakura just wanted her hands to stop shaking.

Beads of water run down her face and the length of her body, washing away her blood and sweat. She looks down at her fingernails and sees that the index on her right hand is split in half, red and swollen from pulling apart the lid from GA1. Her tongue slides over the crack, testing the sensitivity.

The exams had been excruciating. In hindsight, it seemed sill that Sakura hadn't believed the rumors floating around—stuff about robots and metal orbs and _blah, blah, blah_ …

Hearsay in Konoha was extremely prevalent. The children gossiped, the wives gossiped, and even the men spread rumors around their morning coffee. It was hard to tell the truth from all those spoken words, so the kunoichi rightfully ignored them.

There had been a rumor, long ago, that Sasuke Uchiha liked girls with long hair. Her pink strands stick firmly to her breast, and she wonders if _that_ was just a silly deception, too. It had been so important to her, back then. It was as though long hair made it possible for him to notice her. If he noticed her, he could love her. If he loved her, they could get married and have kids.

Oh, how silly she was indeed.

Sakura thumbs the scar on her abdomen, where Sasori had pierced her uterus and ended her womanhood. At 16, there wasn't much time to mourn the loss of what could never be. She was too busy fighting for Sasuke to think that that stabbing could ruin her chances with him for the rest of her life. It didn't matter how long her hair was.

Speaking of hair…As she looks down, she notices that her legs needed shaving. She had time; it had only been a few minutes.

There was a kit by the showerhead. Sakura expertly blades the hairs and finishes her routine—soaping her locks and scrubbing her face and brushing her teeth quickly. She looks down one last time to check for any missed spots and that's when she sees the pink water. It was clear from the showerhead.

 _Have I cut myself with the razer?_

Sakura kicks out each leg, and notices that the redness is gathered at her thighs. She hasn't had a period in a few months—which wasn't unusual overall. Infertility meant your eggs stopped dropping. There was no reason to shed her inner lining if the egg never came.

Before, she'd gotten at least some sort of symptom, however. This time round, Sakura didn't cramp or bloat at all

Shaking her head, she rinses well once more and steps out to dry. The rug was luxurious beneath her feet. As good as it felt, the color ruined the mood completely. Everything was white—white floor, white counter, white towels. She wrapped herself in the cloth and squatted down, searching for feminine supplies under the sink where she'd found medical supplies before.

 _Contestant 05 would like to communicate with you. Permission to open a direct route; denied or granted._

Sakura flails, standing straight as panic floods through her. How long had she been in here? Were they under attack? Her thoughts are bouncing around in a panicked frenzy. _"What an idiot!"_ she says. _"Sasuke's gonna kill me!"_

 _"_ _Deny!"_ She calls back to Cylan, hoping Sasuke won't take it personally. She hastily searches the drawers, looking for pads, tampons, or even cups. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

 _Contestant 05 would like to communicate with you. Permission to open a direct route; denied or granted._

She knows that she needs to answer him. He could be battling the last robot and she would be none the wiser. Clearing her head away from the warmth between her legs, she accepts the direct route and waits for his voice to pop through.

 _"_ _Sakura, where are you?"_ he asks. She can hear the annoyance in her head.

 _"_ _I'm in the restroom, sorry! I'll be out in just a—"_

The floor has a small puddle from when she'd roamed around too hastily without drying off. Her leg slides out from under her and she almost does a split, slamming her right foot into the corner of the counter and her left kneecap on an opened cupboard. She hasn't felt a pain quite like this before.

Tipping over onto the floor, Sakura grasps her practically crushed pinky and howls in pain. "Damn it!"

The door bursts open.

Splayed out on the floor in all of her awkward glory, Sakura sat. Eyes like saucers, the woman looks towards him with a mixture of despair and agony while clutching her foot. She's shaken, but not mortally wounded. Sasuke scans the room for an enemy.

With his all-seeing eyes, he watches drops of water drip from the recently used faucet and takes in the steamed-up mirror. From there, the dampness of her hair and the towel wrapped around her nude body gave him only one conclusion.

Sputtering out, a semi-articulated sentence bursts forth. "I-I'm okay, I just fell."

"You're bleeding."

Her head immediately looks down at the stained patch. Somehow, during her fall, the material had ridden up to her bellybutton. From this spot on the ground, she was perfectly covered. Her thighs showed just as much skin as those sorry shorts did. Still, embarrassment feathered her cheeks.

"I was just looking for the correct…type of gauze for my wound."

"That's why you abandoned your post?"

She scrunches her face at his even voice. She thinks he'd be the type of father to incite fear from just his presence—he didn't need to yell or narrow his eyes. You could _tell_ you were in trouble. Sasuke's glare was excruciating and the fact that Sakura was nude, menstruating, and hurting from almost ripping her pinky toe from her foot didn't help at all. She lies to his face, unable to say that the real reason for putting him at risk unwatched was that she was a bit cold.

"Yes, sorry Sasuke."

He does not seem to accept or deny her apology, and instead opens the mirror to pull out all sorts of wraps and bandages. "I put them up here."

She sees a box of tampons in the upper corner and almost screams with delight. Bowing thankfully, Sakura responds. "Thank you."

Sasuke twists on his heel and closes the door firmly behind him, hiding his frustration. He had awoken, after all, to an empty room. After everything they'd just gone through by sleeping separately, the worst kinds of images flashed through his mind. It wasn't fair to think that he'd put too much faith in Sakura. Dressing ones wounds and completing basic hygienic practices shouldn't be a big deal.

There was another reason he was flustered, too. Somehow, during and after their battle, Sasuke hadn't noticed that Sakura had gotten hurt. The blood from her wound was large enough to leave a fist-sized circle on her towel even after running warm water on it. He took the bed even though she'd had injuries—even though she'd experienced genjutsu.

Kakashi had been right, it seems. Sasuke had the _audacity_ to barge into his office and tell him how _Sakura_ was unfit—yet _he_ was the one that didn't protect his teammate and give her the benefit of the doubt.

While Sakura dealt with his murderous doppelganger after unsuccessfully calling out to him, Sasuke ridiculed her train of thought. He'd assumed she wanted to talk about her feelings and the indiscretion that passed through his mind.

The door opens slowly then, allowing a timid Sakura to escape. Steam swirls around her as the heat of her bath collides with the cool air. The dusty rose tendrils she was most likely named after stick to her face hug her body like a veil. She pulls at her sleeve, tugging them over her hands like they're just as shy as she is from Sasuke's piercing stare.

The nebula of confusion that had been tumbling in his head had suddenly halted at her entrance. She looks like she's about to be scolded.

"I lied to you." She admits, bringing her cuff to her lip, and catching it between her teeth. Though it's difficult, the kunoichi keeps her mind as blank as possible. Cylan connects them still. She can hear his train of thought, and confessions, including the fact that he'd gone to Kakashi to complain about her.

"You lied?" He asks. There's so much more said in his head. " _What did she lie about? Is she too tired to heal?"_

Sakura gnawed the fabric pressed between her teeth, finding her bare feet more entertaining. Her pinky toe was red, darkening to the dark-purple of a bruise. This connection was both enthralling and unjust. The woman squeezes her eyes shut.

"I took a shower because it was cold in here. I told myself it was only going to be a minute, but I ended up shaving and…other stuff happened. I got distracted. I'm an awful teammate. I'm sorry."

The comprehension of it all is projected right back towards Sakura. Sasuke's eyebrows dip together. Any other time, Sakura would have assumed this was a displeasing reaction. Instead, his mouth relays what he thought to himself.

"You were wounded. You could have feinted." " _You need to get some rest."_

"Really Sasuke, I'm totally fine!" She retorts, waving her hands in front of her face. "I slept more than enough earlier."

"Rest doesn't mean sleep. Cylan said we should rest until prompted otherwise." The man points to the windows, which hadn't been there the first time round. "It's dark outside, and the weather is too cold to train in."

This time, there's absolution in his voice. Sakura nods and makes her way to the bed, sitting down as the man runs his fingers through his thick, tousled hair.

His scent is powerful, even while sitting. It smells of thunderstorms. If Sakura closed her eyes, she could feel the humidity he gave off—the electricity around him.

Swallowing, Sakura doesn't allow herself to think before asking her next question. "Will you rest with me?"

When his obsidian eyes catch hers, his thoughts travel along with them. Sasuke does not see Sakura as she sees herself. The blanched tone of her skin, to Sasuke, reminds him of the fragile kettle his mother had imported from the Land of Tea. Her bug-colored eyes are like carved jade. Sasuke thinks…that Sakura is pretty.

She brings her sleeve back up to her mouth and turns, falling into the mattress to recover. Happy that the girl doesn't give him a chance to accept, Sasuke reaches for a woven box and opens the lid.

In it, there's sifted tea and onigiri, ready to crave hunger. Sasuke decides to save the rice balls for Sakura, who hadn't eaten much of anything, and prepares himself a cup of tea with the electric heater beside him. When it's all said and done, he has a steamy mug of black liquid to sip from as he waits for morning to arrive.

About an hour into his mental preparations, an image floats through his head. At first, he's sure that he's going crazy. Such vivid thoughts had never looked so realistic to the actual deed. It was undeniable, however.

He was kissing Sakura.

It got even stranger than that. Instead of Sakura's lowered eyes and puckered lips, Sasuke envisioned his _own._ His hair was messy as if he'd just escaped war, and his shoulders were broader than he'd ever imagined them to be. A low, feminine pant resounded.

" _Do you have to go?"_

Sasuke's eyes snap open and he looks at the woman who matched the voice. Sakura was flat on her back. Her lip was dancing between her teeth—her eyes moved rapidly under their lids as the dream she concocted bleed right into his own consciousness.

Their connection was still active from earlier. How had he not noticed?

" _I have to go, but I'll always come back to you."_

A snort hisses from his nose without warning. Sasuke quickly covers his mouth and looks back to Sakura, who didn't seem affected by the noise in the least. Carefully setting his hand back down, the ninja furrowed his eyebrows, watching the scene play out.

Maybe he was awful. This is a private moment after all. Wet dreams were embarrassing enough on the receiver—imagine being part of one secondhand? As awful as it was, Sasuke found that he was drawn to it in the least perverted was as possible. Somehow, though his dream-self was obviously nude, nothing about the act seemed realistic at all.

Closing his eyes, he watches as his hands reach for her face and he leans in once more. With their lips pressed together and their heads touching, the illusion breaks contact for only a moment.

" _You have such a charming forehead."_

This time he doesn't snort. Sasuke _chuckles_ aloud _,_ taking in the absurdity of this woman's "lewd" dream. His hands rub the smile off his mouth as he gains his composure, taking a sip of tea to calm himself.

Puberty, for him, had been a lot messier than what Sakura was going through. Obviously, she was physically past that stage. He's sure that as a medic, she'd seen more naked women (and men) than he'd see in a lifetime. The action in her head played out like Kakashi's silly erotica. It's just a bunch of hugging, kissing and nonsense words that Sasuke can't imagine himself ever saying. If the action ever played out in real life, there'd be a lot more movement and their heads wouldn't be adjacent the entire time.

Just as he thinks it, Sakura's dream flitters back in. Seemingly taking his doppelganger's advice, dream-Sasuke separates their lips and travels down a bit farther south.

Shaking his head, Sasuke finishes his tea and tries to block out the sudden fidgets his teammate cannot hold back. Like a dog, his chest swells with pride. Humans were just animals, after all.

* * *

"Good morning!"

Looking around the corner with his toothbrush in his mouth, he watches as Sakura stretches. Deft fingers work the tousled strands of her hair as she twists it into a braid, smiling merrily towards her partner.

Sasuke spits. "You slept well."

The woman floats to the table, opening up the wicker basket in search of food to fill her empty stomach. Sakura hums as she pulls out a rice ball.

"How can you tell?"

Not bothering to respond, the man wipes his mouth and leaves his smirk into the hand towel by the sink. "You've been out for about three hours. Dawn is breaking. We'll head out when you're ready"

It doesn't take long for Sakura to eat and brush her teeth. Feeling rejuvenated and spunky, the kunoichi tugs on her boots and beats Sasuke out of the door. When he exits after, the dormitory fades into data, pixilating into the foggy air around them.

Sasuke's boots break through the first layer of snow. He'd always liked winter more than the summer he was born into. Summer belonged to Naruto—bright, fun, energetic Naruto.

Sasuke walks down the nonexistent pathway and kicks a lump of frost out of his way. "This last cyborg is more cunning. Be prepared for another ambush."

Sakura looks at his broad shoulders and narrow waist. A smile spreads across her mouth as she soaks in the high of her dream. "Yeah, I guess it's a ninjutsu thing. Stealth and all that…"

"Ninjutsu is more than just stealth. It's everything that's not genjutsu or taijutsu."

The woman nods. "Of course, it's _me_ you're talking to. I'm a walking dictionary." Her feet catch up to him and she walks by his side. "I'm not worried. Your Great Fireball Technique and _Kusanagi_ should be more than enough to finish this."

Something pops into Sasuke's head. He remembers the book he'd left on her counter before training one morning. It had belonged to his mother, locked away in a disarrayed storage building under layers of dust. Both ninja stop and stare at one another, having the same shared realization.

"That book," He says. "Did you understand any of it?"

It was beyond Sasuke's comprehension. He was never an intellectual, as action taught him better than word. Scrolls suited him better because of their graphic imagery, which showed correct positions and techniques.

"I did." Jutting her bottom lip out just a bit, she lets her index finger run along the smoothness in a thoughtful gesture. "I memorized each page. It was mostly about the history of summoning weapons—why they were crafted, how, who used them…"

Sasuke listens as she spews, waving her arms as her mouth babbles on. He didn't really care much about what she was saying, or what it meant, but he listens because it's important to her and he can't remember ever seeing her so enmeshed in a subject.

Her cheeks are frostbitten and her bare thighs and legs are red from the wind. She rubs her hand up and down them as she prattles, explaining how she understood the basics but needed to work on actual in-field moves.

"There's no time like the present."

Long ago, when the Uchiha clan was revered, Sasuke learned weaponry. He had never been interested in the classes, as traditional garb and correct position didn't matter much when a wild boar the size of a house was barreling towards you.

Still, his mind remembered the drawstring against his cheek. He remembered how far his feet were supposed to stand when he held a bow-and-arrow. He remembered the whip of his _bokken_ as he parried his classmates, slamming the practice sword down on their vitals as he struck a kill-zone.

Batting with axes was a rare art that took both strength _and_ stamina. Fighting beside one another against this final machine would help them finish all that much faster.

"Summon your axe, we'll practice."

Sakura almost cheered aloud. Truth be told, she had never spoken so much without someone shushing her. She could talk for hours about medical subjects and poisonous plants, so much so that even _Ino_ could only handle a few sentences.

Sasuke had looked intrigued—and not only that, he'd listened and commented on her oration as if he wasn't bothered in the least. "Y-you want to practice right now?"

He shrugs, pulling out a canister of water. Sakura's not sure where he'd gotten it from. Sasuke offers her his tumbler without wiping the mouthpiece, and she takes the drink after him like her stomach wasn't as flurried as the weather about her.

"Thank you," She grins back. "You have no idea how happy I am right now."

 _Oh, happiness, must you be so fleeting?_


	20. Chapter 20: Sakura was rarely wrong

Chapter 20: Sakura was rarely wrong.

The smooth handle of her axe is worn from her ancestors use, leaving grooves for her hand to slide into. It's heavy, even by Sakura's standards, but she only uses chakra to _summon_ it. She can manage the weight if she uses both hands. The blade, when propped on the ground, spans up to her hipbone.

"Try blocking." Sasuke commands as he unsheathes his sword. He doesn't give her much time to react. Flashing in front of her like lightning, Sakura heaves her weapon upwards to block is bade.

His pressure is brutal, and if it were kunai on kunai, Sakura's wrist would have probably broken. The axe is hefty and it doesn't take much effort for her defend. Pressing back forcefully, Sakura pushes Sasuke away and swings her blade. It's a sluggish, embarrassingly slow strike that a child would be able to escape if need be.

He jumps lands atop it, forcing the metal into the snow and leaving her wide open. Sakura expects a hit, a kick, or a push. Sasuke settles for chiding.

"Just work on dodging for now. Your attacks are too slow."

There's a crunch to her left and she sees his clone as it starts to attack. It's easier to move her body around her weapon instead of swiping it back and forth, so she thrusts her form around the staff and uses the handle to deflect his _kusanagi_ once more.

The clone disperses and Sasuke appears behind her, jabbing his hilt into her lower back. He's broken through her barrier yet again.

She groans in frustration, because they've only just started and he's already bested her twice. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Everything," Sasuke drawls, not bothering to coat his words with sugar. She's light on her feet and agile, but keeping up with her weapon is a _hindrance_ to her body instead of an _extension_ of it. "Choke up on the handle and try using one arm."

The wood is not wrapped in hide here so it's not as smooth. Small splinters bite into her skin. She's used to the unblemished metal of kunai and shuriken. The small stabs remind her of plucking weeds and wrapping dog leashes around her wrist; the laborious excursions Genin participated in to callous their palms and increase their muscle. It is almost a foreign feeling, and Sakura is disappointed that she's fallen so far behind yet again.

She has the hands of a healer—a doctor, and for some reason it's disheartening.

Bracing the length of the rod under her arm, Sakura lifts the heavy hatchet onehandedly and prepares to protect herself from an upcoming onslaught. It's the first time Sasuke has ever sparred with her.

At first, Sakura ran. Sasuke was fast though, and even his clones were a force to be reckoned. The snow made her slip and slide. Every time her knee hit the ground, she was almost pierced with a sword or slammed with a foot.

She supposed she should be grateful that Sasuke was dealing serious blows—he'd originally settled for the unsharpened edge of his sword and his bare hands to signal she'd been caught. Now, they're playing "first blood".

When weaving her battleax became too tedious, Sakura planted its head into the frost and anchored herself around the neck, kicking her feet out as she smashed into all four of her adversaries. Sasuke watches her twist around the haft as smoke from his illusions round, creating a vortex-like effect as if she'd trained with her weapon since childhood, and not a half hour.

With her long left leg outstretched, she pivoted and slung her axe once more, aiming for Sasuke's abdominals. The edge of the blade did not slice his flesh, but it _did_ send an electrified jolt to his skin, which forced him back a step. Sakura would be able to use that to her advantage in the final battle—it was a safeguard against humans.

Nonetheless, Sakura's throws were lopsided and she was severely undertrained. Maybe she didn't feel threatened enough. Sasuke knew that there were two types of trainees—the ones that flew and the ones that fought. There was no room for escape here.

With a rough jerk, he pulled at her wrist and slung her behind him, forcing her weapon away from her grasp. It flew a yard away from her body, sticking its blade in the faux earth. She was on her stomach, splayed out in a mess of upturned foliage and thick clumps of frosty dirt. Sasuke flickered towards her. He was careful not to expend too much of his severely prisoned chakra.

She rolled away from his stomping foot, letting her eyes convey her shock as he cratered her previous resting place. It was as if a kill switch had been activated within Sasuke. He turned his sword to its correct passion, sharp side down, walking slowly to Sakura as she stood.

Her heart was hitting the walls of her chest so loudly that she couldn't hear the crushed snow beneath Sasuke's boots as he advanced. It was suddenly as if she couldn't breathe—as if the life-giving oxygen that was so incredibly abundant around her was sucked from their environment.

Assessing the situation, Sakura counted the steps she'd have to take to get to her battleax. Three strides to the left and then with her weapon, she could block his blows.

That was easier said than done.

With the bangles around his wrists, hidden under his sleeves, Sasuke was about as strong as he was as a Genin. Sakura knew that even then, he would still be able to deal a lot of damage.

Time stilled for only a moment before Sakura pounced, throwing herself at her hatchet just as Sasuke's _kusanagi_ sliced through the air. Her wooden handle fended off the sharpened steel, trembling under his intense pressure.

Curling his body around her defenses like a snake ready to strike, Sasuke braced his knife-edge onto the throat of her axe and planted his foot into the soft flesh of her stomach. Her grasp broke and yet again she was detached—but this time she held her ground and did not fall.

"What's your problem?" She yelled as she ran full force.

It was as if he were fending off a bull. Sasuke sidestepped the rampaging woman, amused that she could so easily be riled up. As she clambered by, she drew her axe once more and copied his moonlight technique, raising her body off the ground and pressing her own booted foot into the stone-like muscle of his gut.

He was not like Sakura. Sasuke was well versed in taking a hit. The moment the soles of her shoe slammed against his middle, Sasuke wrapped his hand around her ankle and threw her beneath him, pinning her in place.

His fist rose for a punch that was as lethal as the earth-denting kick from earlier. As his arm reared back and his resolve hardened, something snapped deep within Sakura. Flashbacks tormented her head—post-traumatic stress from months ago when his artificial hand was _real_ , buzzing with a _Chidori_ and aimed to kill.

She did not try to dodge—her body had turned paralytic and limp under the impending blow.

It seemed as though not _every_ Sasuke was a Sasuke she could trust.

Sakura flinched from his hand as his own body seized, watching the way her loose strands of hair backlashed from the powerful outburst of his untouched hit.

He let his fist hit the grass by her ear as he straddled her, taking in the look fear and uncertainty that bloomed across her features. Sasuke was neither angered nor upset. Her trepidation was something he expected, no matter what hormonal dreams suggested otherwise.

"You're afraid of me."

Sakura's eyes snap open, forcing liquid to pour out and follow the shape of her overheated cheeks. "No, I—"

"It's because I tried to kill you." Sasuke continues, saying the phrase so easily. There wasn't any other reason for her reaction. There was no point in pussyfooting around the truth.

When she looks back to his face, Sasuke sees that her eyes turn a shade darker. When she stares at him—really _stares_ at him, in the way that only she could do, he felt trapped. He falls into the seafoam green like he's drowning in a pregnant ocean of aquatic life—all flecks of yellow and emerald and mint.

They shouldn't be drawn to one another. They mix as well as oil and water does.

"I tried to kill you, too. I'm afraid of you as much as you are of me."

With their thoughts still connected, Sakura hears his acceptance. He _is_ afraid of Sakura. He's afraid that she will overcome him, make him fall in love, give him a taste of happiness and wither away like her namesake. Love wasn't a cure-all for Sasuke. Love was an affliction.

Gulping, she continues nonetheless. "I have no right to be scared."

It was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. Of course, she had the right. Every ounce of anger that she kept bottled up belonged to him alone. She should _hate_ him, even her **Inner** soul agreed.

Sakura should, and Sasuke shouldn't…but _fuck,_ he can't keep holding back. His bangs touch her wet cheeks now, and his eyes close because she's too much to look at.

"Don't…be afraid of me."

When she was younger, Sakura had placed a pink marble in a glass jar and

sealed the lid. Some days, if she spun it around fast enough, a whirlpool would form, forcing the water to rebound from the walls and crash back into itself. The same current twirled in the core of her body now, colliding in and out together as her mind tried to process the dramatic switch from unwanted contact to _very_ wanted contact.

The face of the man she'd loved all of her adult life neared her own. Sasuke's nose was the first to touch her, sweeping next to her own as her upper lip brushed his philtrum in an almost-kiss. Time had truly paused—everything buzzed around her, and within her, as she prepared herself for the rarest delicacy in all of Earth.

Their relationship was built on tragedy, however, and this time was no different.

Just as the space was crossed between them, a whirring sound flew over the pair. Sasuke tumbled down from his high rapidly, wrapping his hands around Sakura's shoulders. They rolled from the attack, narrowly avoiding an upsurge of pure energy that hummed around them. The backlash wave sizzled Sasuke's exposed skin, peeling back the thin outer layer.

It seemed as though the final robot had arrived.

* * *

Sakura was rarely wrong. She scored top marks on every test, was an amazing investigator, and was normally lucky in surmises and assumptions. This was not a piece of paper with a "yes" or "no" answer in front of her. It also was not another ball-shaped android.

This robot resembled a woman.

The plates that wrapped around the original frame weren't anatomically correct, but had curves and dips that resembled a female in essence. Two arms, two legs, a mess of wires and cords that sprouted from the cranium to resemble hair…it was strange to look at, and powerful to boot.

"I've found you," it says, moving her mouth up and down like a puppet.

Freezing in the places, both Sasuke and Sakura recognize the voice instantly. The same one allowed them to communicate internally. It belonged to none other than,

"Cylan,"

"You are surprised. Good." The robot spewed, waving its hands over the field.

Sakura thought that, perhaps this was where a monologue came in. You know; the part where the evil villain laughs like a raving lunatic and explains the basis of their schemes.

Sasuke didn't have time for such nonsense. He had dealt with Naruto's incessant banter for far too long. The man had the urge to hit something—especially the something that stole his high away.

Wiping his mouth, Sasuke draws his sword and charges, running faster than Sakura's eyes can follow.

The two weave in and out of the sky—Cylan in defense and her partner in offence. Metal clashes against metal, causing sparks to fly. The embers sizzle out when they fall to the snow. With one powerful surge, Sasuke tears through Cylan's armor with a powerful kick, sending it barreling into a plume of frost.

Sakura's skin still tingled from her almost-kiss. Nonetheless, she's a ninja. The woman pushes back her feelings and sprints to her hatchet, ready to make it useful. Her hand encloses on the shaft just as another bolt of Cylan's energy tumbles towards her. It forces the fine hairs on her outer layer to stand at attention as static bounces around.

The ball looked as if Cylan had captured the sun itself. It was hot, cold and painful all at once. With an unpracticed twist, Sakura protected herself from the starfire by hiding behind the upturned blade of her battleax.

The snow beneath her gave way to a dark cavern out of nowhere. She was suddenly weightless as she plummeted, falling into the darkness and landing excruciatingly on her side. Like someone was pouring themselves a cup of tea, water flooded the gaping hole and filled her lungs and mouth, drowning Sakura alive.

"I'm the one that controls this place." Cylan warns as she lowers her mechanical arm to stop the waterfall from flowing. "I control every rock and every grain of sand. I know the inner workings of you and your partners mind. I know every weakness, every attack, and every thought that passed between the two of you."

It aimed its canon-like appendage directly to Sasuke. "You cannot win." Another burst of energy whipped through the air.

Although the bracelets kept Sasuke's attacks and jutsu very basic, he was still a brutal ninja. His chakra reserves were severely low. Only enough for one _Chidori_ and maybe a few bursts of his _Katon_ would be able to squirm though.

Thinking quickly, he charged once more and threw a kunai down into the freshly formed pool, making sure his metal threads were connected. Being able to modify the environment around Cy-Lan was an extreme disadvantage. No matter what, Sasuke knew that he and Sakura should not be separated.

She arises from the water loudly, hacking up every drop she'd inhaled. Her fingers bled from the grip she'd had on Sasuke's weapon, but it was not a deep enough wound to bother healing. The sounds of battle fill their environment, but Sakura knows her words will echo.

"You've been playing us this entire time?" Sakura asks, vomiting once more and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Her canon morphs back into a human-like wrist and forearm, and it robotically turns her head towards the tea rose. It's as though Cylan has no qualms with showing Sasuke it's back.

"Sakura Haruno, you're the logic one. Age: 20, Weight: 105 and IQ is 156. Beware of all physical blows. Self-healing capabilities along with superior thought processing." It spouts, as if a sheet of paper was flapping right in front of her face. "You bore me."

Before Sakura can say anything, Sasuke's _Chidori_ chirps to life. It's a sound that she's come to hate, but in this moment, she relishes the tweeting. Robots and electricity didn't mix well, and Sasuke was powerful enough to deal the final blow—the hit that will send her back to her comfortable bed and the sterile halls of the hospital.

Sasuke's hand hits the ground as he crouches low, building chakra into his legs. It was something that was second nature to Sakura—she'd always been incredibly gifted in chakra control—but it took Sasuke a few seconds longer to prepare.

His speed made up for his delay. When Sasuke pounced from the earth and left Sakura behind in an upset of debris, she couldn't help the smirk that covered her face. Sasuke was on Cylan in the blink on an eye, driving his arm into her the middle of her chest.

When his hit lands and the twittering birds dissipate, Sakura allows herself to breathe again. Her steps are languid as she walks closer to inspect the damage, heaving her axe over her small shoulder. Sakura's in her medic mode, eyes training on Sasuke's hidden arm. The artificial limb was more sensitive than his original, so the searing heat of a lightening attack would certainly deal him his own bout damage.

It's as though a weight had been lifted from her. They were finally finished—a simple ten-minute melee was all it took to kill of Cylan and send them home.

However…the dome did not dissipate around them. The too-thick snow was still under her feet. The off-blue sky was still stretched out above them—and it wept. Heavy drops of rain slowly started to drizzle out, landing heavily on the crown of her head and the curve of her shoulders. Sasuke and Sakura were motionless, taking in the odd scene, which dropped the temperature of their heat.

There's a digital groan.

It starts out low, like the humming of an oscillating fan on a hot summer's day. Slowly, the sound grows louder, cackling into a repeated, record-like laugh that did not belong anywhere but a cheesy sitcom. The dimmed light in Cylan's goggles blinked to life, shining a brighter red than Sasuke's _Sharingan._

Sakura tightens the grip on her handle and takes a step back, warning Sasuke. "She's still active."

Sasuke knows this, and he can do nothing about it. His arm is buried far into Cylan's chest, nestled between jagged iron tines and freshly frayed wires. He's tangled within her, and the coils keep wrapping and healing _around_ his limb, trying to connect him permanently it to her form.

"Sasuke, back away," Sakura says slowly as her feet move backwards.

It's of no use. As hard as Sasuke jerks, his arm his unmoving; it's ensnared between the two mounds of Cy-Lan's sternum. The weight that had been raised from Sakura's chest slammed back full-force as the realization surrounded her. She scrambles to him, wrapping her fingers around his bandages. The hole closes unhurriedly, giving Sakura a view of the cords that are attaching back into themselves and the collocating metal within.

"Go," He says, wrapping his right hand around his elbow. "This isn't going to end well."

Sakura can't leave him—there's no way she could turn away. The laughing is getting louder, more foreboding. Soon Sasuke's arm is going to be completely engulfed.

The kunoichi has been trained in these sorts of situations. Men have come to her with failing bodies, women have entered her hospital with detached limbs, and children had been rushed through her emergency room with split flesh.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura plants her foot onto Cy-Lan's inactive, but gradually waking body, and places her small hands over Sasuke's elbow.

"We've got two choices," She says, watching the opening heal up. "I can remove your arm and cauterize the wound, or I can rip it out and heal the damage."

She can feel his hand tense. It wasn't as if he had a deep connection with his dominant arm—he had lost it against Naruto and wandered for months without. Still, it was rather convenient. He looks at her.

"It's your call, doc."

As soon as the words come out, Sakura kicks away from Cylan and shreds the wrappings and pale skin into ribbons of gore and blood. His warmth stains her calf and palm as she sends her healing chakra to the laceration just as soon as the wound forms.

It was pain one moment—brutal, excruciating, the foreign feel of bone meeting air—and then it was as if it was enveloped in a fluffy cloud of medication. Sasuke watches Cylan fly off into the distance and land face first as Sakura stitches up his skin, keeping her eyes on their enemy. Her brows are knit together in concentration.

"I've never seen anything like that." Sakura says hastily. Sasuke notices the slight tremble in her words. Sakura could be scared and brave all at the same time. "We have to keep our wits about us or this won't end well."

Her hands finish healing and she rips off her left sleeve, destroying the fabric into long strips that will protect his newly connected flesh. It's all done so quickly, Sasuke can't help but be impressed.

There's finally movement. The cyborg rises to her feet. Showing off her unmarred sternum, Cylan raises its canon-like arm towards Sasuke and Sakura and fires another shot. Pressing Sakura to his chest, Sasuke uses his _Rinnegan_ and travels to the other side of the field.

"It's going to take more than that to take me down, you fools."

As it approaches, rolling on wheels that jutted out from her heel, Sasuke forms his hand signs. Sakura recognizes that it's his _Katon_ and smiles triumphantly. Even after his space-time ninjutsu, there was still enough chakra in him to melt their enemy. His chest expands against her breasts as his lungs fill.

It was like a dragon had burst forth. She was not on the receiving end of the flames, but her breath caught as though the attack had been aimed right to her.

It was beautiful—all reds and yellows and oranges—blooming into a phoenix flower that would incinerate anything that it came into contact with. Sakura feels the combustion all around her—her skin is uncomfortably warm and it's as though the wetness of her eyeballs is being completely zapped by the heat.

Her back is searing, even though Sasuke's hands are wrapped around her and she's as deep into his chest as possible. She feels the material of her shirt start to melt like sugar candy, proving that the Uchiha flame could destroy almost anything. Her long braid is scorching at the ends. When the heat his gone and the air rushes back around her, she moves away from Sasuke and covers her chest as her top falls to the floor.

Sakura knows that she will not be able to get close enough to Cylan on her own to land a good enough hit, and the chakra she's accumulated would go to waste if she pumped it all though her legs to match the speed.

Sakura decided to protect Sasuke. Cylan had armor and could regenerate—Sakura's body could sustain heavy damage and she could heal herself faster than she could heal Sasuke. There was no other option to take.

"My eyes see everything." Cylan says as Sakura tucks her head under Sasuke's chin. "You're covering his vital organs."

Sasuke is taken aback. He looks down at her, through the mess of wet, pink locks, and sees that her face is full of pure hatred.

For some reason, even though he's come to know a different Sakura, Sasuke's first thought was that she pressed into him for comfort. It was the opposite case here. This kunoichi would take all of the blows. She would heal all of Sasuke's injuries, and together they would defeat the strongest adversary they've come across since the start of The Jōnin Exams.

"Use me, Sasuke." She says, and even it's just as mind numbing as the first time she said it.

* * *

Cylan warps forwards and Sakura blocks the blow with her axe, letting Sasuke use his sword to swipe at the wires that keep its synthetic limbs attached. He severs one connection before they're pushed back, and they slide into the damp slush from beyond.

The cyborg charges up another starburst, sending the shockwave directly towards the two. By now, it's easy enough to dodge.

"Do you have any ideas?" He asks.

Sakura's eyes were always assessing. "She regenerates quickly, but if we rip her apart, her limbs can't grow back."

That sounded good enough.

Sasuke lifts Sakura into the air as Cylan's foot hits the ground. He parries, slamming the back of his elbow into its cranium and billowing out another onslaught of Uchiha flame. It seems he has more chakra than he'd originally thought.

Sakura lands behind him and heaves her axe directly to Cylan's middle, rolling over the tops of her teammates arms in the process.

Sasuke remembers all of the contact they shared as adolescents. For the longest time he'd just assumed Sakura was too slow and too weak to defend herself—but he realizes that he hadn't really ever given her a chance. Even his 12-year-old self was drawn to her touch.

"Aim for her left arm, I'll get the right." Sakura says, not clouded by indecencies.

Sasuke nods and powers ahead, keeping a firm grip around Sakura's midsection. He dips down and throws Sakura upwards just as Cy-Lan slides along the earth. She'd been aiming for Sakura's feet.

The lithe woman comes down with a heavy fury. With one heavy lob, Cylan's arm detaches like a hot knife through butter. The android shrieks in anger as Sakura slams the poll of her hatchet down, shattering iron into fragments of miniscule specks.

"You'll pay! You'll regret that!"

Sasuke barely has enough time to haul Sakura out of the way. Cylan points her canonized arm towards them and approaches all at once. The cylinder presses into the small of Sakura's back as it powers up another fatal blast, forcing Sasuke to palm the barrel and direct it towards the sky as it goes off.

Suddenly, the rain stops and the lands scatter back into the gridlines from only a day before. The air grew still, chokingly still, like oxygen was scarce. Their chests heave up and down as they suck in their breaths, scanning the area.

Sakura brushes her bangs from her face, and pulls back the loose strands. She lets her fingertips dance around her locks, noting that the ends are sizzled and the long strands of her braid had melted into a short, shoulder-length hairdo. She scowls.

"I was…" Sasuke begins, letting his _Sharingan_ move wildly around as he forces out his words. "…hoping you wouldn't notice."

"I noticed." Sakura's voice is steady and calm as she examines the area. Her senses were strained as she choked on the atmosphere—it left her lightheaded and dizzy.

Sasuke feels something approaching…something that even his eyes could not find.

"Watch it," He says—but it's too late. Sakura yelps as she's plucked away by an unknown force. The pull knocks what little air she has out as she struggles against her invisible enemy.

Thrashing around like a wild animal, Sakura uproars, swinging her legs out as her axe falls helplessly to the floor. Sasuke reaches out towards her but a barrier has been erected—it feels rough like the bark of a tree, but everything's transparent and all he can see is Sakura as she chokes to death only a few feet away. Her hands wrap around the object that's pressing her trachea as she struggles to breathe. .

The bangles around Sasuke's wrists groan in protest as he builds up his chakra and forms lightening in the palm of his hand. It crackles around, scorching the cloth of his shirt just before he plunges into the tree bark and breaks it down.

There was no thread tugging at her this time. This was not a faux death. This was not a gentle pull on her soul. It was as if Satan's claws were wrapped around her neck, tugging her down to the pits of hell with him. Everything burned—her eyes bulged out dangerously and her nails had split from her pressure. Even her strength did not help.

As her bloodied fingertips slid across the smooth metal of the camouflaged robot, Sakura screamed. This was not a game; this was not a fun little match that would decide her fate as a shinobi. She was losing consciousness as oxygen refused to flow to her extremities.

Through her bleary eyes, she sees Sasuke as he breaks through an unobservable obstruction. There's only one thing that made sense out of all of this. If she were offed, Cylan would have free reign over Sasuke and he'd all but expanded every ounce of chakra.

If she had to choose her own life over his, she would choose his every time.

"Go through me,"

Sasuke snaps the wristlets that sapped his chakra. They fragment around and fade into data, fading as Sasuke dealt with the rush of power that flowed through him.

"I don't need to,"

Sasuke was forcing lightening into a ball at the tip of his finger. He'd stolen the move from Suigetsu in the heat of this battle. Suigetsu's Water Gun now belonged to Sasuke, and the Lightening Pistol formed its first bullet.

"You'll miss." She says. Sakura—as small as she was—was bigger than Cylan. The cyborgs body was completely shielded from his angle, even if he _could_ see it.

"I _won't_."

This does not feel like a tragic end. It's a necessary death, and one that would be incredibly burdensome on Sasuke's hand.

Sending every ounce of her chakra to her bare navel, Sakura creates a safety net. Sasuke watches as it glows mint green. It flickers, because she's losing cognizance and falling into oblivion.

"Aim here… I can heal it back…but I'm…"

When her stomach dims once more, Sasuke makes his choice.

The path of the ninja was not an easy one. Too often, Sasuke had done things being Sakura's back and ignored her pleas. This was an intelligent young woman who knew how to react and respond in difficult situations. When his bullet flies from his fingertip, Sasuke watches as the voltage passes right through her, praying that she was right this time, too.


	21. Chapter 21: Charming forehead

Chapter 21: Charming forehead.

The room was unbearably chilly. The fabric covers on the couch made the backs of her thighs feel like ice, and as the night stretched on Sakura found that her arms and legs physically began to tremble.

She had eyed the thick blanket atop of Sasuke's feet—only his feet, as he was the type of person to sleep with just a sheet—but she knew better than to take it. Sasuke had just fallen asleep only hours ago after staring at her disinterestedly. It was almost as if he slept with his eyes open—looking, but zoned out of the realities of the world around him.

At first she ate her meal uncomfortably; the heat of his stare sent her hair on end. If she had been younger, his hard, preoccupied gape would have melted her down into a puddle of unrequited love. But, she was different now. (Though, it was only a small, insignificant change in personality.)

She makes her way to the shower and tells herself it will only take a minute. She'd told Sasuke that being alone wasn't a good plan after she'd been attacked randomly, but the air around her was frosty and the warmth of a good wash simply made her ache. It would be what, twenty minutes tops? He wouldn't even wake!

The beads of water run down her face and the length of her body, washing away her blood and sweat. She looks down at her fingers and sees that the fingernail on her right index is split in half, pink and swollen from pulling apart the lid that belonged to GA1. Her tongue slides over the crack, testing the sensitivity.

The exams had been absolutely _crazy_.

Sakura hadn't believed the rumors floating around—stuff about robots and metal orbs and _blah, blah, blah_ …because hear-say in Konoha was normally spread from unknowing housewife to unintelligent child to oblivious commoner. Ninja gossiped, too, but they were bound by code and seal to keep important information hidden.

There had been a rumor once that Sasuke Uchiha liked girls with long hair. Her pink strands stick firmly to her breast, and she wonders if that was a fallacy or a truth. She thumbs the scar on her abdomen where Sasori had pierced her uterus and ended her womanhood. It didn't make her weep anymore

She looks down and notices that her legs need to be shaved.

There was a kit by the showerhead, and she expertly blades the hairs and finishes her routine—soaping her locks and scrubbing her face and brushing her teeth. After one last onceover, Sakura notices that the water was running clear across her chest…and pink down the drain.

 _Have I cut myself with the razer?_

Sakura kicks out each leg, and notices that the redness is gathered at her thighs. She hasn't had a period in a few months—which wasn't unusual with all things considered. She didn't cramp or bloat, so seeing the blood suddenly confused her. Her body wasn't ill, however, so she shrugged it off as being a spotty cycle.

The rug was luxurious beneath her feet and…it was unfortunately white.

Everything was white—white floor, white counter, white towels. She wrapped herself in the cloth and squatted down, searching for feminine supplies under the sink.

 _Lord Sasuke would like to communicate with you. Can I open a direct route?_

Sakura flails, standing straight as panic floods through her. Oh god, how long was she in here? Were they under attack? Her thoughts are bouncing around: _"What an idiot!"_ she says. _"Sasuke's gonna kill me!"_

 _"No!"_ Sakura replies, hoping he won't take it personally. She's in too much of a tizzy to remember that Cy-Lan supplied toiletries once asking, and she rummages around through every drawer and crevice. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

 _Lord Sasuke would like to communicate with you. Can I open a direct route?_

She needs to answer him. He could be battling the last robot and she wouldn't even know it. Clearing her head away from the thoughts of "periods" and "tampons", she allows his voice to filter though.

 ** _"Sakura, are you alright? Where are you?"_**

" ** _I'm in the restroom, sorry! I'll be out in just a—"_ **

The floor has a small puddle from when she'd roamed around too hastily. Her foot slides out from under her and she almost does a split, slamming her right foot into the corner of the counter and her left kneecap on an opened cupboard. She tips over onto the floor and grasps her pinky toe—it had been practically crushed.

"Damn it!" she howls in pain. She repeats the phrase over and over until her words hitch in her throat as the door is swung wide open.

Sasuke looked at her splayed out form for a full three seconds. He sees a patch of red at her middle, and looks around the room for a hidden enemy. Was it camouflaged? Why was she naked?

Sakura sputters until a semi-articulated sentence bursts forth. "I'm okay, I just fell."

"You're bleeding."

Her head immediately looks down at the stained towel, happy at first that it's ridden up to her bellybutton, and displeased that it's so high on her upper thigh. Sasuke had told her immodesty was uncomfortable, hadn't he? She was practically slapping him in the face.

"I'm okay Sasuke, really—I was just looking for the correct…type of gauze for my wound."

"Is that why you showered and abandoned your post?"

She scrunches her face at his peeved voice. Sakura didn't mean to be dishonest, but his glare was excruciating and the fact that she was nude, menstruating, and hurting from practically ripping her pinky toe from her foot didn't help. So, she lied. "Yes, I'm sorry Sasuke."

He opens the mirror and pulls out all sorts of wraps and bandages. "I put them up here."

There's a box of tampons in the upper corner and almost screams with delight. "Oh, thanks so much! I'll be out in a second!"

Sasuke nods and turns his back to her, shutting the door. He had woken up to a cold, empty room that was dark and void. He hadn't been surprised at first, until the realization that Sakura was missing popped in and it made him wonder what the hell had happened. There was _no way_ she'd just _leave_. He thought that she must have been taken, or ensnared.

Yet, she was simply showering and dressing her wound.

For a moment, he felt as though he was the worst teammate in all of history. Waking up without her there should have immediately sent warning signs though his head. It had taken him a full eight minutes—he'd killed in less time.

And when the hell did she get hurt? He'd been asleep for a few hours, and the blood from her wound was large enough to leave a fist-sized circle on her towel. The bed was cozy and there was icy ventilation drafting throughout the room. Had she bled the entire time? Had she gotten cold?

He seethed, sitting on the edge of the bed with his fingers curled under his chin. Kakashi had been right. Sasuke had the audacity to barge into his office and tell him how _Sakura_ was unfit—yet he was the one that didn't notice immediately that she was missing. He was the one that didn't notice her lesion.

He ran his hands though his hair—too shaggy and in need of a cut—and processed his feelings. Should he be angry that she'd left him alone, or should he be angry that he'd taken so long to notice? Should he, shouldn't he, should he, shouldn't he…

The door opens and Sakura steps out into the freshness of the room. Steam swirls around her as the heat of her bath collides with the air. The dusty rose tendrils she was most likely named after are damp and heavy. They stick to her face hug her body like a veil. She pulls at her sleeve, tugging them over her hands like they're just as shy as she is from Sasuke's piercing stare.

The nebula of confusion that had been tumbling in his head had suddenly halted at her entrance. She looks like she's about to be scolded, like she has a secret to hide/

"I lied to you." She admits, bringing her cuff to her lip, and catching it between her teeth.

What was she going on about?

Sakura gnawed the fabric pressed between her teeth, finding her bare feet more entertaining. Her pinky toe was red, darkening to the deep-purple of a bruise. She doesn't speak, or even try to defend herself.

He was angry at her after all—his silence told her so. Sasuke wasn't one to yell, or belittle. She knew that he would keep silent until she explained. "I took a shower. I told myself it was only going to be a minute, but I ended up shaving. O-Other stuff happened so I got delayed…and…and I'm just really sorry."

She dips her head low, bowing to him like a wife whose husband just gotten home from work. Like a student greeting a teacher; like he was ranked higher than she was. "I left you behind while you slept for self-indulgence. Forgive me."

"It's a good thing." He says suddenly, standing from the edge of the bed and pulling tucking the sheets back in place properly. He doesn't look at her. "You were injured. You could have feinted."

Smoothing the edges, he gestures towards the cot. "Get some rest, I'll keep watch."

The smell of Sasuke Uchiha is mind-numbing. It's the scent of thunderstorms and wilderness. Was there a candle with this scent? If Sakura closed her eyes, she could feel the humidity and electrified atmosphere from the ghost of his body.

Sasuke brushes past her and finds his place at the table, propping his elbows upon it and running his fingers through his thick, tousled hair.

"You need more rest than I do; why don't you go back to bed, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't trust that she wouldn't fall asleep or abandon her post again. He wasn't upset that she'd done it—he genuinely felt relieved that Sakura had noticed her wound, but he certainly didn't feel comfortable sleeping again. It had been a wonder he'd rested the first time. "No,"

She doesn't argue, and he hears as she shifts into the bed slowly. Sakura thought that speaking out against him would be akin to poking a rabid bear—which wasn't the best of ideas. She could only apologize, it was his choice to accept or not.

She's asleep in moments. Sakura purrs like a kitten and it's the only thing he can hear in the silence of the room. He makes a glass of tea and leans against the counter, closing his eyes briefly to pacify the soreness.

A dream that does not belong to him enters his mind. It's Sakura—she is lying beneath him, panting and rosy from passion. Her hand trails down his chest, over each abdominal muscle until it hovers only a few inches below his belly button.

The man's eyes snap open. He looks at Sakura incredulously. She down for the count, but her lip is dancing between her teeth and her eyes are moving rapidly under their lids. As she dreams her wet dream, her body tosses a bit, letting the duvet fall from her shoulders and gather at the sensual dip of her waist.

This is a private moment; an erotica that only Sakura should know about and wake up to. But Sasuke finds that he's drawn to it—intrigued by it. His dream self is nude and Sakura is fully clothed. It's an odd fantasy, fascinatingly unsoiled considering the subject matter. He cups his tea and sips, closing his eyes so that he can see her fictional love-making—her wholesome delusions. He wonders if, perhaps, he's done everything all backwards.

Sasuke head dips low, letting his lips run over her earlobe as he whispers sweet nothings. Sasuke audibly snorts, hearing the cheesiest line in the entire world spill from his make-believe lips—"Sakura, you have such a charming forehead."

He can't stand the silliness of it all. Sakura's so pure and untainted—there's not even "sex" in her dirty thoughts. It's just a bunch of hugging and kissing and nonsense words that Sasuke can't imagine himself ever saying. He thinks of how different they are—he was lust and she was chastity, he was black and she was white, he was a demon and she, an angel. But, like a moth, Sakura was drawn into his flame.

When morning comes and Sakura's slept a full eight hours, Sasuke lets her wake up naturally. He finds that poking her with a stick was the best and simplest way to go.

She throws herself out of the bed and lands on the floor with a thump, shaking the furniture as if she weighed a full ton. He knew different, though, because he'd held her and flipped her around on the battlefield. His _kusanagi_ carried more mass.

They eat in silence, because Sasuke cannot speak to her without thinking of her pubescent dream. Sakura, however, has slept _too much_ , and for some odd reason this makes her moody and sharp.

 _She must not have had her "happy ending",_ he thinks. Not he would know. He'd dispelled Cy-Lan's mind transfer before anything _eventful_ happened, if it ever did.

They step out of the dormitory and it fades into data, pixilating into the foggy air about them. Sasuke's boots break through the first layer of snow. He'd always liked winter more than the summer he was born to.

Naruto was summertime after all. He was bright and fun and energetic. They were opposites far down the line of history, and adjectives that described Sasuke Uchiha would be more akin to "dark", "melancholy", and "lackluster".

When Sakura stops to use the restroom for the third time in three hours, Sasuke starts to wonder if she's escaping the silence rather than draining her bladder. She exits the portal and it dissipates, but she keeps her eyes on it as if it's the first time she's seen it happen.

"You're being strange again." Sasuke says, because he _notices_ , and because it's _bothersome_.

Sakura keeps her eyes downcast, enjoying the cold compress of snow on her boots as it soothes her aching pinky toe. It had been an eventful few days—she's drained, she misses home, and she wants to talk about _more_ than the stupid exams. Anything would be better than the awkwardness between them.

Sakura cannot meet him in the eye or even try to converse, because she's had embarrassing dreams about his undressed body and she's afraid she'll stumble over her feet if she looks up. Her inflamed uterus wasn't making anything better. Womanhood shouldn't be a setback.

"I slept too much." It's the first excuse she could spew to Sasuke when his eyebrow quirked up during breakfast.

She'd slept like a newborn baby, after all, and he was running on only a few hours rest. She was aggravated, but her arguing would only win her a: "It's too late now to worry about it," or something similar.

"You're hurt."

When she does not respond or grace him with her chartreuse irises, he thinks that perhaps…he should try a bit harder. She needed more communication—she fed off of it. Sakura had been used to Naruto's constant banter and at least one person on every mission to chew the fat with—it wouldn't be so hard, right?

Sasuke walks ahead, down the nonexistent pathway and kicks a lump of frost out of his way. "…this last cyborg will be even more cunning."

Sakura looks at his taut back—his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his muscular _everything_ —and finds herself smiling genuinely, because he's trying to talk to her and it's about the _exam_ , and she really doesn't seem to care at all.

"Yeah, I guess it's a ninjutsu thing. Stealth and all that…"

Something pops into Sasuke's head. He remembers the book he'd left on her kitchen counter before training one morning, the one that belonged to his mother. It had been locked away in a disarrayed storage building under layers of dust.

"That book," He says, stopping and turning towards her. "Did you understand any of it?"

It was beyond Sasuke's comprehension. He was never the academic type—he learned better by action than by word. The paragraphs upon paragraphs of "summons" and "demons" never really brought him much interest. Scrolls suited him better—graphic imagery that showed correct positions and techniques.

"I did." Jutting her bottom lip out just a bit, she lets her index finger run along the smoothness in a thoughtful gesture. "I memorized each page. It was mostly about the history of summoning weapons—why they were crafted, how they were used and who used them…"

Sasuke listens as she talks, waving her arms as her mouth babbles on.

He didn't really care much about _what_ she was saying, or _what_ it meant, but he listens because it's important to her and he can't remember ever seeing anyone so enmeshed in a subject. Her cheeks are frostbitten and her bare thighs and legs are reddened from the wind, but she pays it no mind. She absentmindedly rubs her hand up and down as she prattles, explaining how she understood the basics but needed to work on actual in-field moves. "I don't know the correct positions."

"I'll help."

Years ago when the Uchiha clan was revered and the offspring were treated like royalty, Sasuke was taught swordsmanship. He had never been interested in the classes, as traditional garb and correct position didn't matter much when a wild boar the size of a house was barreling towards you.

Still, his mind remembered the drawstring against his cheek, and how far his feet were supposed to be placed when he held a bow-and-arrow. He remembered the whip of his _bokken_ as he parried his classmates, slamming the practice sword down on their vitals as he struck a kill-zone.

He hadn't had much practice with axes, but he remembered his teacher's movements as he sliced hay mannequins in two. "Summon your axe."

Sakura had never spoken that much without being told to shut up—without being told that she was too loud about her passions. She could talk for hours about medical subjects and poisonous plants, so much so that even Ino could only handle a few sentences.

Sasuke had looked genuinely intrigued—and not only that, he'd listened and commented on her oration as if he wasn't bothered by her zeal the least. "Y-you want to practice right now?"

He shrugs, pulling out his canister of water and taking a swig. They had time to waste, and there was no doubt that the last robot would meet up with them soon. Sasuke and Sakura could keep trudging through the snow in awkward silences, or they could work on the Haruno battleax (that would be great help in their final battle). It wasn't a hard choice.

He offers her his tumbler without wiping the mouthpiece, and she takes the drink after him like her stomach wasn't as flurried as the weather around her.

"Thanks, Sasuke…for everything."


	22. Chapter 22: Love was not his cure

Chapter 22: Love was not his cure.

The smooth handle of her axe is worn from her ancestors use, leaving grooves for her hand to slide into. It's heavy, by even Sakura's standards, but she only uses chakra to summon it. She can manage the weight if she uses both hands.

The blade, when propped on the ground, spans up to her hipbone. It's sharpened steel that's stained with a painted red swirl and the Haruno clan's emblem, adored with gaudy chains and bracelets, and wrapped with strips of animal hide from long ago.

"Try blocking." Sasuke says as he unsheathes his sword and points it towards her. She's never sparred against him, and doesn't think he's the type that will go "easy". _Was "easy" was even in his vocabulary?_

He flashes in front of her and she heaves her weapon upwards, slamming the handle against his blade. His pressure is brutal, and if it were kunai on kunai, Sakura's wrist would have probably broken. But, it's not, and she's safe from his first movements.

Her axe is hefty and it doesn't take much effort to defend. Pressing back forcefully, Sakura pushes Sasuke away and swings her blade. It's a sluggish, embarrassingly slow strike that a child would be able to escape from if need be.

He jumps and lands atop it, forcing the metal into the snow and leaving her wide open. Sakura expects a hit, a kick, or a push. But Sasuke settles for chiding. "Just work on dodging for now. Your attacks are too slow."

There's a crunch to her left and she sees his clone as it starts to attack. It's easier to move her body around her weapon instead of swiping it to and fro, so she propels her form around the staff and uses the handle to deflect his _kusanagi_ once more.

The clone disperses and Sasuke appears behind her, jabbing his hilt into her lower back. He's broken through her barrier yet again. She groans in frustration, because they've only just started and he's already bested her twice. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Everything," Sasuke admits. She may be light on her feet and agile, but keeping up with her weapon was a _hindrance_ to her body instead of an _extension_ of it. "Choke up on the handle and try using one arm."

There are no indentions where she places her palm. She's the first one to one-arm this axe and that makes her nervous and prideful simultaneously. The wood is not wrapped in hide here so it's not as smooth, it forces small splinters into her skin.

She's used to the unblemished metal of kunai and shuriken. The little prickles remind her of plucking weeds and wrapping dog leashes around her wrist; the laborious excursions Genin participated in to callous their palms and increase their muscle. It is almost a foreign feeling, and Sakura is disappointed that she's fallen so far behind yet again. She has the hands of a healer now, and for some reason it's disheartening.

Bracing the length of the rod under her arm, Sakura lifts the heavy hatchet onehandedly and prepares to protect herself from an upcoming onslaught. It's the first time Sasuke has ever sparred with her, and she'd never thought he'd suggest it during such an important time. It was such a strange request that she'd never know the meaning behind. Sasuke was not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve after all. He was an enigma.

If he were subject to study, Sakura didn't think much could be written, besides the obvious. Orochimaru must have had quite a battle when he broke Sasuke's spirit.

At first, Sakura ran. Sasuke was fast though, and even his clones were a force to be reckoned. The snow made her slip and slide, and every time her knee hit the ground she was almost pierced with a sword or slammed with a foot. She supposed she should be grateful that Sasuke was dealing fatal blows now—he'd originally settled for the unsharpened edge of his sword and his bare hands to signal she'd been caught. Now, it seemed he was playing "first blood".

When weaving her battleax became too tedious, Sakura planted its head into the frost and anchored herself around the neck, kicking her feet out as she smashed into all four of her adversaries. Sasuke watches her twist around the haft as smoke from his illusions round, creating a vortex-like effect as if she'd trained with her weapon since childhood, and not a half hour.

With her long left leg outstretched, she pivoted and slung her axe once more, aiming for Sasuke's abdominals. The edge of the blade did not slice his flesh. Instead it sent an electrified jolt to his skin that forced him back at least once pace. She would be able to use that to her advantage in the final battle—it was a safeguard against humans.

But, Sakura's throws were still lopsided and flippant. Maybe she didn't feel threatened enough. Sasuke knew that there were two types of fighters—the ones that ran, and the ones that raged. There was no room for escape here.

With a rough jerk, he pulled at her arm and slung her behind him, forcing her weapon away from her grasp. It flew a yard away from her body, sticking its blade in the faux earth. She was on her stomach, splayed out in a mess of upturned foliage and thick clumps of freezing dirt. Sasuke flicker-stepped towards her, careful not to expend too much of his severely prisoned chakra so he could fight off any ambush if need be.

She rolled away from his stomping foot, letting her eyes convey her shock as he cratered her previous resting place. It was as if a kill switch had been activated within Sasuke. He turned his sword to its correct position, sharp-side-down, walking slowly to Sakura as she stood.

Her heart was hitting the walls of her chest so loudly that she couldn't hear the crushed snow beneath Sasuke's boots as he advanced. It was suddenly as if she couldn't breathe—as if the life-giving oxygen that was so incredibly abundant around her was sucked from their environment. Lightheadedness swirled around her.

Assessing the situation, Sakura counted the steps she'd have to take to get to her battleax. Three strides to the left and then with her weapon, she could block his the bangles around his wrists, hidden under his sleeves, Sasuke was about as strong as he was as a Genin. Sakura knew that even then, he would still be able to deal a lot of damage, so keeping her eyes open to any and all attacks would be imperative.

Time stilled for only a moment before Sakura pounced, throwing herself at her hatchet just as Sasuke's _kusanagi_ sliced through the air. Her wooden handle fended off the sharpened steel, trembling under his intense pressure.

Curling his body around her defenses like a snake ready to strike, Sasuke braced his knife-edge onto the throat of her armament and planted his foot into the soft flesh of her stomach. Her grasp broke and yet again she was detached—but this time she did not fall.

"What's your problem?" She yelled as she brushed away her bangs. Sakura would admit it—she was scared—but being courageous was not the absence of fear. Maybe it was not the smartest of moves, but Sakura had already started running full force.

It was as if he were fending off a bull. Sasuke sidestepped the rampaging woman, amused that she could so easily be riled up. As she clambered by, she drew her axe once more and copied his moonlight technique, raising her body off of the ground and pressing her own booted foot into the stone-like muscle of his gut. _Take that, fucker._

He was not like Sakura. Sasuke was well-versed in taking a hit, in sending chakra to that certain point and cushioning the blow. The moment the soles of her shoe slammed against his middle, Sasuke flew back. _God damn._

They were raging now, each running towards the other with no plan in mind. After expertly dodging every hit she threw (out of necessity, really), Sasuke wrapped his hand around her ankle and threw her beneath him, pinning her in place. His fist rose for a punch that was as lethal as the earth-denting kick from earlier. But, as his arm reared back and his resolve hardened, something snapped deep within Sakura. Flashbacks tormented her head—post-traumatic stress from months ago when his artificial hand was _real_ , buzzing with a _Chidori_ and aimed to kill.

She did not try and dodge—her body had turned paralytic and limp under the impending blow.

Sasuke had seen true fear before. He'd felt it himself as a child, watching his brother stand over the slain bodies of the very people that gave them life. In this moment, as time stilled and leaves danced around them, it was as if he were looking into a reflection of his own anguished, child-like face.

Sakura flinched from his hand as his own body seized, watching the way her loose strands of hair backlashed from the powerful outburst of his untouched hit.

She was afraid of him.

In August, when the heat was a scorching, miserable balm, Team 7 and Team Taka had trained together. He and Naruto had fought, because they were brothers and brothers often bickered. But their knockbacks were not easily healed…their hits would mortally wound. And Sakura…Sakura was the foolish girl who umpired their squabbles with the flesh of her own body.

The very skin Sasuke had begun to crave was attached to a woman who feared his fist and desired his hand all at the same time. He'd seen her fear too often—as a 12-year-old girl in The Forrest of Death, and as a 16-year-old girl in the Land of Iron, and as a 19-year-old woman just months ago. She'd been catatonic.

Her eyes were pressed together so securely that her unfallen tears hadn't had the chance to break through. Magnetism was drawing them closer, _tugging_ from deep within…making his body want to do things that opposed his mind and judgement. These were feelings Sasuke did not comprehend.

He did not know how to kiss a woman. He'd only had two lip-on-lip experiences and both were embezzled, either _by_ him or _from_ him (Fucking Naruto, that damned idiot.). He did not know how to have sex with a connected heart, like she deserved. He imagined the whole thing to be very open, and the thought of being so vulnerable…disgusted him.

Love was not his _cure_ —it was his _affliction_.

He let his fist hit the grass by her ear as he straddled her, taking in the look of her underneath him, because he didn't think he'd ever see it again.

"You're afraid of me."

Sakura's eyes snap open, forcing liquid to pour out and follow the shape of her overheated cheeks. She can hear again, and see again; her senses were clouded with _Sasuke, Sasuke…Sasuke.._. It was everything she'd ever wanted.

The only time she'd been this close to his face was when he was about to kill her, though. The thought forced her body to diverge against her heart, telling her to get out of the situation. She pushed away from his unmoving chest weakly.

Could Sakura talk her way out of this? "G-Good match, I'm hungry again! Let's grab a quick snack and—"

"It's because I tried to kill you."

When she looks back to his face, Sasuke sees that her eyes turn a shade darker when she stares at him—really _stares_ at him, in the way that only she could do. He falls into the seafoam green like he's drowning in a pregnant ocean of aquatic life—all flecks of yellow and emerald and mint. It's intoxicating.

Sasuke doesn't realize that his face is drawing towards hers until she talks again. This time he doesn't back away. They share the same inhales and exhales in this space—this tiny sliver of Sasuke and Sakura that only belonged to them.

"I tried to kill you, too. I…I have no right to be afraid."

It was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. Of course she had the right. Every ounce of anger that she kept bottled up belonged to him alone. She should _hate_ him, even her inner soul agreed. But Sakura and Naruto were not so easily defeated. Sasuke, in a way, feared her fury. She was just as passionate about him as his dopey, spikey-haired brother.

"Don't…" he pauses and closes his eyes, because looking at her was too much, and he didn't think he could get his words out. "Don't be…afraid of me…"

When she was younger, Sakura had put a little blue marble in a glass jar and sealed the lid. Some days, if she spun it around fast enough, a whirlpool would form and coil up, forcing the water to rebound from the walls and crash back into itself. The same current twirled in the core of her center now, colliding in and out together as her mind tried to process the dramatic switch from fear to _lust_.

She'd felt this same want within Sasuke, when she had defeated TA1 and he looked down at her war-torn face. It was almost the same exact hunger…except, this was not a thirst that fed off of Sasuke's thoughts. This was something that belonged completely to her. _Her_ thoughts, _her_ wants, _her_ needs…

"Okay," she says, letting out a breath of smoldering steam from the fire burning within her.

Sasuke had always liked that about Sakura—she was obedient—she _listened_. But, she didn't take all of his words at face value. She used her iridescent irises as truth seekers to paw around in his soul and pull out information Sasuke didn't even know was there. He felt the urge again—the tingling on the outside of his lips that could only be healed from Konoha's "best medical ninja". The hurt was palpable—he wanted _it_ , he wanted _her_ —in the purest sense of the word, like the 13-year-old boy that stole her first kiss that fateful night, many moons ago.

The face of the man she'd loved all of her adult life neared her own. Sasuke's nose was the first to touch her, sweeping next to her own as her upper lip brushed his philtrum in an almost-kiss. Time had truly paused—everything buzzed around her, and within her, as she prepared herself for the rarest delicacy in all of Earth.

But, Sasuke was not a lucky man.

Before his mouth could claim hers—before he could melt into her body like hot water poured upon a pillar of sugar—a whirring sound zipped through the wind just above his back. It was as close to high as Sasuke had ever been. He tumbled down from his elevation rapidly, dizzyingly, as his hands wrapped around Sakura's shoulders. They rolled from the attack, narrowly avoiding an upsurge of pure energy that hummed around them. The condensed power sizzled Sasuke's exposed skin, peeling back the thin outer layer.

It seemed as though the final robot had arrived.


	23. Chapter 23: You're a she-wolf

Chapter 23: You're a she-wolf.

Sakura was rarely wrong. She scored top marks on every test. She was an amazing investigator, and was normally lucky in surmises and assumptions. This was not a piece of paper with a "yes" or "no" answer in front of her, so Sakura begrudgingly admitted that she was wrong.

The humanoid in front of them was certainly _not_ an eighteen-limbed square, like she first presumed it to be. Instead, the robot resembled a woman. The plates that wrapped around the original frame weren't anatomically correct, but had curves and dips that resembled a female in essence. Two arms, two legs, a mess of wires and cords that sprouted from the cranium to resemble hair…it was strange to look at, and powerful to boot.

"I've found you." it says, moving her mouth up and down like a puppet.

Sakura recognized the melodic voice almost instantly. She'd heard it in the passageways of her mind for days, and only a few short hours ago. "Cy-Lan,"

"Are you surprised?" It asks. Sakura thought that, perhaps this was where a monologue came in. You know; the part where the evil villain laughs like a raving lunatic and waves their arms around while they lecture.

But, Sasuke had dealt with Naruto's incessant banter for far too long. He was infuriated after being ripped from his…whatever it was, from their...He shook his head. Almost kissing her was as close to heaven as he'd ever get. He had found it. Finally, after so long, his cure-all was the feminine woman who glowered by his side. Fuck anyone and anything that tried to take him away from this.

He draws his sword and pounces, running faster than Sakura's eyes can follow. The two weave in and out—Cy-Lan in defense and her partner in offence. Metal-on-metal clash as sparks fly, sizzling into nothingness as the foliage beneath refuses to catch fire. He tears through her armor with a powerful kick, sending Cy-Lan barreling into a thickened tree trunk, shattering the wood into sticks.

Sakura's mouth still tingled. But she is a ninja, and she fights against her own feelings and sprints to her hatchet, ready to make it useful. Her hand encloses on the shaft and another bolt of energy speeds towards her. It forces the fine hairs on her outer layer to stand at attention as static bounces around. It looked as if Cy-Lan had captured the sun itself in her canon blast. It was hot and cold and painful all at once, and with an unpracticed twist, Sakura protected herself from the star by hiding behind the upturned blade of her battleax.

The grass beneath her gave way to a dark cavern. She was suddenly weightless as she plummeted, falling into the darkness and landing on her tailbone. And like someone was pouring themselves a cup of tea, water flooded the gaping hole and filled her lungs and mouth, drowning Sakura alive.

"I'm the one that controls this place." Cy-Lan says as she lowers her mechanical arm to stop the waterfall from flowing. "I control every rock and every grain of sand. I know the inner workings of yours and your partners mind. I know every weakness, every attack, and every thought that has passed between the two of you."

She cackled and aimed her canon-like appendage directly to Sasuke. "You cannot win."

Another burst of energy whipped through the air. He was able to use ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even genjutsu. And although the bracelets kept his attacks and jutsu very basic, he was still a brutal ninja. His chakra reserves were severely low, however. Only enough for one _Chidori_ and maybe a few bursts of his _Katon_ would be able to squirm though. Thinking quickly, he charged and threw a kunai down into the freshly formed pool, making sure his metal threads were connected. Being able to modify the environment around Cy-Lan was an extreme disadvantage, but no matter what, Sasuke knew that he and Sakura should not be separated.

Sakura wraps her fingers around the threads and arises from the water loudly, hacking up every last drop she'd inhaled. She bleeds, but it was not a deep enough wound to bother healing.

"So," Sakura says, vomiting once more and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You've been playing us this entire time? TA1 and GA1 were just pawns in this elaborate ruse?"

"You're the logical one." Cy-Lan replies. Her canon morphs back into a human-like wrist and forearm, and she robotically turns her head towards the Tea Rose. "Sakura Haruno, age 19, weight 105, IQ of 156, loves sweets. Beware of all physical blows." It spouts, as if a sheet of paper was flapping right in front of her face.

Before Sakura can say anything, Sasuke's _Chidori_ chirps to life. It's a sound that she's come to hate, but in this moment, she relishes the tweeting. Robots and electricity didn't mix well, and Sasuke was powerful enough to deal the final blow—the hit that will send her back to her comfy bed and the sterile halls of the hospital.

Sasuke's hand splits the ground as he crouches low, building chakra into his legs. It was something that was second-nature to Sakura—she'd always been incredibly gifted in chakra control, but it took Sasuke a few seconds longer and that was time they did not have.

He was faster than almost anyone she'd ever seen—right under Rock Lee. So when he pounced from the earth and left her behind in an upset of debris, Sakura couldn't help the smirk that covered her face. Sasuke was on Cy-Lan in the blink on an eye, driving his arm into her the middle of her chest.

When his hit lands and the twittering birds dissipate, Sakura allows herself to breathe again. How long had she held her breath? Her steps are languid as she walks closer to inspect the damage, heaving her axe over her small shoulder. Sakura is in medic mode, eyes training on Sasuke's hidden arm. The artificial limb was more sensitive than his original, so the searing heat of a lightening attack would certainly deal him his own bout damage.

It's as though a weight had been lifted from her.

They were finally finished—a simple ten minute melee was all it took to kill of Cy-Lan and send them home.

and yet...

The dome did not dissipate around them. The too-green grass was still thick under her feet, the off-blue sky was still stretched out above them—and it wept. Heavy drops of rain slowly started to drizzle out, landing thickly on the crown of her head and the curve of her shoulders. Sasuke and Sakura were motionless, taking in the odd scene.

There's a digital groan.

It starts out low, like the humming of an oscillating fan on a hot summer's day. But it grows louder, cackling into a repeated laugh that did not belong to anyone Sakura knew personally. The dimmed light in Cy-Lan's goggles glows now—almost a brighter red that Sasuke's _Sharingan_.

She tightens the grip on her handle and takes a step back. "She's still active!"

Sasuke knows this. But his arm is buried far into her chest, nestled between jagged iron tines and freshly frayed wires. He's tangled within her, and the coils keep wrapping and healing _around_ his limb, trying to permanently connect it to her form.

"Sasuke, back away," Sakura says slowly as her feet retreat.

As hard as Sasuke jerks, his arm his unmoving; it's ensnared between the two mounds of Cy-Lan's sternum. The weight that had been momentarily raised slammed back to Sakura full-force. She scrambles to him, wrapping her fingers around his bandages. The hole is closing unhurriedly, giving Sakura a view of the wires that are attaching back into themselves and the metal that is collocating.

"Go," He says, wrapping his right hand around his elbow. "This isn't going to end well."

Sakura can't leave him—there's no way she could turn away. But the laughing is driving her mad and soon Sasuke's arm is going to be completely engulfed. She does not panic; doctors didn't freak out. Instead, she takes a deep breath, plants her foot onto Cy-Lan's inactive, but gradually waking body, and places her small hands over Sasuke's arm.

"We've got two choices," She says, watching the opening heal up. "I can remove your arm and cauterize the wound, or I can rip it out and heal the damage."

She can feel his hand tense. It wasn't as if he had a deep connection with his dominant—he had lost it against Naruto and wandered for months without it. It was going to be painful either way. "It's your call, doc."

As soon as the words come out, Sakura kicks away from Cy-Lan and shreds the wrappings and pale skin into ribbons of gore and blood. His warmth stains her calf and palm as she sends her healing chakra to the laceration.

It was pain in one moment, a brutal, excruciating, and foreign feel of bone meeting air—and then it was as if it was enveloped in a fluffy cloud of medication. He watches Cy-Lan fly off into the distance and land face first as Sakura stitches up his skin. Her brows are knit together in concentration but she needs not bother assessing the damage—she knows how to heal and Sasuke trusts her work.

"I've never seen anything like that." Sakura says. Sasuke notices the slight tremble—because Sakura could be scared and brave all at the same time. "We have to keep our wits about us."

Her hands finish healing and she pulls off her left sleeve, destroying the fabric into long strips that will protect his newly connected flesh. It's all done so quickly, Sasuke can't help but be impressed.

There's finally movement in the distance.

The cyborg rises to her feet and shows off her unmarred sternum, raising the canon-like arm towards Sasuke and Sakura. Starlight bursts forth and Sakura is pressed firmly against her partner as he dodges. He was going to keep Sakura close—that was for sure.

"It's going to take more than that to take me down, idiots." It groans. As she approaches, rolling on wheels that jutted out form her heel, Sasuke forms his hand signs. Sakura recognizes that it's his _Katon_ , and his chest expands against her breasts as his lungs fill to capacity.

It was like a dragon had burst forth. She was not on the receiving end of the flames (thank _fucking_ god), but her breath caught as though the attack had been aimed right to her. It was a beautiful ember—all reds and yellows and oranges—blooming into a phoenix flower that would incinerate anything that it came into contact with. She feels the combustion all around her—her skin is uncomfortably warm and wetness of her eyeballs is being completely zapped.

Sasuke doesn't need his hand anymore, and with another inhale he breathes his flames while turning Sakura into his body, protecting her flesh from the jutsu. She hears the rumbling within his lungs, as if it originated from inside of him. Did she have that fire too? Or did it belong only to him? Sakura had felt it mere moments ago—at least, it seemed that way.

Her back is searing. She feels the cotton start to melt like sugar candy and her long ponytail is scorching at the ends. When the heat his gone and the air rushes back around her, she moves away from Sasuke and watches as her top falls to the floor. He doesn't notice—or care—because his eyes are trained on their opponent.

Sasuke feels Sakura's head in the dip of his clavicle. She's snuggling against him, letting her body tremble as her entire back, from head to thigh, flushes into his front. He enfolds his arms around her, just under her chin and around her neck.

This warmth is more bearable to her now. Sakura knows that she will not be able to get close enough to Cy-Lan on her own to land a good enough hit, and the chakra she's accumulated would go to waste if she pumped it all though her legs to match the speed. So, Sakura decided to shield Sasuke. Cy-Lan had armor and could regenerate—Sakura's body could sustain heavy damage and she could heal herself faster than she could heal Sasuke. She would be his safeguard. She would take all of the blows, she would heal all of his injuries, and together they would defeat the strongest adversary they've come across since the start of The Jōnin Exams.

"My eyes see everything." Cy-Lan says as Sasuke presses Sakura closer to him. She's still shaking, she's still afraid.

"You're covering his vital organs."

Sasuke pauses. He looks down at her, through the mess of wet, puce locks, and sees that her face is full of pure hatred. She's not trembling with fear. She's trembling with _excitement._ And _fuck,_ he's never seen anything more attractive.

"You're a she-wolf," Cy-Lan continues.

Sakura's always been like this—using her own body to protect his. Now, in this moment, she's completely engulfing him and he had the…the audacity to think she was _scared_? She pulled his arms down from her mouth and ran his hands over the thick wrappings that held her breasts until they found the curve of her smooth, bare waist.

"Use me, Sasuke." She says, and even it's just as mind-numbing as the first time she said it.

Cy-Lan warps forward and Sakura blocks the blow with her axe, letting Sasuke use his sword to swipe at the wires that keep her synthetic limbs attached. He severs one connection before they're pushed back, and they slide into the damp soil from beyond.

The cyborg charges up another starburst, sending the shockwave directly towards the two. Sasuke pushes Sakura into the dirt and covers her with his body before popping up once more, keeping her securely against him. "Do you have any ideas?" He asks. "That cannon is sporadic."

Sakura's eyes were always assessing. "The only thing I can think of is to rip her body into tiny, little chunks so that regeneration is impossible."

Sasuke lifts her into the air as Cy-Lan's foot hits the ground. He parries, slamming the back of his elbow into her cranium and billowing out another onslaught of Uchiha flame. Sakura lands behind him and heaves her axe directly to Cy-Lan's middle. If Sasuke melted her away, Sakura could slice her in two.

"We need to disfigure her, then." Sasuke says as his fire dies down. Cy-Lan is nowhere to be found.

"If I can pull apart her arms and legs, we'll just have a husk to deal with." She replies. Sasuke embraces her again, keeping true to his self-proclaimed promise to keep her close. Maybe, in some way, Sasuke was a sick man. Maybe he belonged in an asylum with other lunatics that enjoyed of the rush of battle and the feel of a woman simultaneously. She was curled against every curve and dip of body, and it was _fucking_ _amazing_.

Sasuke remembers all of the contact they shared as adolescents. For the longest time he'd just assumed it was because Sakura was too slow and too weak to defend herself—but he realizes that he hadn't really ever given her a chance. Even his 12-year-old self was drawn to this—holding her while fueled with adrenaline. He smirks and moves his mouth against her earlobe as he speaks. "Keep up with me."

Sakura isn't thinking the same thing he's thinking. She's eyeing their enemy, gripping her hatchet and forming to him like a puzzle piece. There's only one thing in her mind. Sakura is going to protect him from any and all hits. Sakura is going to heal him from any and all wounds. She _has_ to stay by his side—she _has_ to keep up! She turns her head so quickly, his mouth and nose slide against her cheek. "I've got stamina."

It's as though her dainty hands had reached deep into his central core and squeezed. She was perfect, truly perfect. "Aim for her left arm, I'll get the right." Sakura says and turns.

Sasuke powers ahead, wondering when he'd turned into an annoying fan-girl that thought of unimportant things during battles. Sakura takes three strides for his one, but he keeps her hips by his arm so that if they need to jump, or go faster, all he has to do is move her himself. He crouches down and her bottom finds the groove of his shoulder just as Cy-Lan slides along the earth. She'd been aiming for Sakura's feet.

The lithe woman throws her leg around Sasuke's neck, gliding over his shoulders as she swings her blade down forcefully. With one heavy lob, the appendage separates from Cy-Lan like a hot knife through butter. The android shrieks mechanically—not in pain, but in _anger._

The digit twitches once before fueling down. Sakura slams the poll of her hatchet down, shattering iron into fragments of minuscule specks.

"You're going to pay for that!" Cy-Lan bellows.

Sasuke barely has enough time to haul Sakura out of the way. Cy-Lan points her canonized arm towards them and approaches all at once. The cylinder presses into the small of Sakura's back as it powers up another fatal blast, forcing Sasuke to palm the barrel and direct it towards the sky as it goes off.

Everything changes.

Suddenly, the rain stops and the lands scatter back into the gridlines from only a day before.

The air grew still, chokingly still, like oxygen was scarce. Their chests heave up and down as they suck in their breaths, scanning the area.

Sakura brushes her bangs from her face, and pulls back the loose strands. She lets her fingertips dance around her locks, noting that the ends are sizzled and the long strands of her ponytail have melted into a short, shoulder-length hairdo. She scowls.

"I was…" Sasuke begins, letting his _Sharingan_ move wildly around as he forces out his words. "…hoping you wouldn't notice."

"I noticed." Her head turns towards him and throws a sour face. The length of her hair was really the last thing on her mind, though. Her head was reeling, trying to figure out just what was going on. She feels Sasuke press up to her. Back to back they walk around in a circle, waiting for an attack.

"What's going on?" Sakura's voice is steady and calm as she examines the area. Her senses were strained as she choked on the atmosphere—it left her lightheaded and dizzy.

Sasuke feels something approaching…something that even his eyes could not find.

"Watch it," He says—but it's too late. Sakura yelps as she's plucked away by an unknown force. The pull knocks what little air she has out and s he struggles against her invisible enemy.

Thrashing around like a wild animal, Sakura uproars, swinging her legs out as her axe falls helplessly to the floor. Sasuke reaches out towards her but a barrier has been erected—it _feels_ rough like the bark of a tree, but there's nothing _there._ Everything's transparent and all he can see is Sakura as she chokes to death only a few feet away. Her hands wrap around the object that's crushing her trachea.

"Sakura!" Sasuke doesn't know why he calls her name. It's not like screaming for her would do anything.

The bangles around his wrists groan in protest as he builds up his chakra and forms lightening in the palm of his hand. It crackles around, scorching the cloth of his shirt just before he plunges into the tree bark and breaks it down. Pricks of invisible wood pierce his flesh but he pays no heed. Every step he took was delayed, as if even gravity was defying him, like he was trudging through marsh again or swimming in a pool of oil.

Again, his bracelets moan and quiver, because he's trying to pull out every ounce of power within his body to save Sakura from the blue hue that was tinting her lips.

There was no thread tugging at her this time. This was not a faux death, a gentle pull on her soul, a thin string that led her to the afterlife. It was as if Satan's claws were wrapped around her neck, tugging her down to the pits of hell. Everything burned—her eyes bulged out dangerously and her nails had split from her pressure. Even her strength did not help.

As her bloodied fingertips slid across the smooth metal of the camouflaged robot, Sakura screamed. This was not a game; this was not a fun little match that would decide her fate as a shinobi. She was losing consciousness as oxygen refused to flow to her extremities. Through her bleary eyes she sees Sasuke as he breaks through an unseen obstruction.

Her fingertips don't hurt now, and her legs don't tingle, and her chest isn't ablaze. Sasuke is the only thing that matters—before herself, before her family—because Naruto and Sasuke were Konoha's saviors. Because Sasuke was Naruto's right-hand-man…and Naruto was going to bring peace to the ninja nations and…and…and Sasuke could _do this_ on his own.

She was his partner, and if she had to choose her own life over his, she would choose his every time. "Go through me,"

Sasuke hears her and her voice is not strained. She meets his eyes and it's that same color—the green of a mid-March spring field. He knows what she wants him to do. He's done it before, hadn't he? Sasuke sacrificed Karin for his revenge—the day he plunged into true darkness.

But he wasn't stained anymore.

He was saved because Naruto cared. Sakura was his home now, and without her…he...

He could not lose a dear person anymore. He refused. He snaps the wristlets that sapped his chakra and they fragment around and fade into data. Before every last particle had degenerate Sasuke was forcing lightening into a ball at the tip of his finger.

He'd stolen the move from Suigetsu. His Water Gun now belonged to Sasuke, and the Lightening Pistol formed its first bullet.

"I won't."

"You'll miss if you don't." She says.

Sakura—as small as she was—was bigger than Cy-Lan. The cyborgs body was completely shielded.

"I _won't_."

But Sasuke was too cocky for his own good. If he tried to avoid Sakura, he...he really might miss. She did not want to die in vain. Why wasn't anyone shutting this game down? Would Konoha really kill its own people? Sakura didn't know what to think. Kakashi was still a pawn to the village elders—and this turned a full circle back to her original thoughts. Naruto _had_ to survive, and Sasuke _needed_ to be his protector.

"Right here," She says, sending every last ounce of her chakra to her bare navel. Sasuke watches as it glows mint green. It flickers, because she's losing cognizance and falling into oblivion. "You have to do it now. I can heal it back…but I'm…"

Sasuke makes his choice, then and there. He goes against every ounce of willpower left within him.

The bullet releases through the air and blackness follows—the gridiron fades and when his lightning hits her skin, Sasuke turns his head. The voltage passes through her and sends a pure electric shock over every inch of her body. Her eyes roll back as her skin rapidly heals with what little chakra she had left.

The wound won't bleed—it's been sealed shut from the heat—but everything hurts and she can't breathe and this time it's not a dream.

This time, Sasuke really did hit her, and she doesn't know what will happen next.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I am going through old chapters at the same time, and I'm not changing anything drastically but I would love it, if ya'll had the time, to delve back over my story!**

 **I try to update quickly so my loyal readers don't forget what has happened! Anways, here's Chapter 23 and I hope you enjoyed the battle even if it feels rushed. I know this is a cliffhanger so I'll try to keep everyone satisfied and I won't make you wait long!**

 **Thanks for everything. I enjoy your reviews. Please keep encouraging me!**


	24. Chapter 24: Sasuke would get a woman

Chapter 24: Sasuke would get a woman.

"The whole system has blacked out!"

Kakashi watches as the intellectuals around him buzz. The monitors show a dire situation—Sakura's been capture and she's choking to death right on in front of them. He slams his fist against the middle table, sending coffee and paperwork to his sandaled feet. "Then shut it down."

"If we do that," His assistant says, adjusting her clipboard to her hip. "All of Konoha will power down. That one stray canon blast from Cyber Language hit the sweet spot of the dome. Even our generators won't be able to withstand this outage—the hospitals will short-circuit and it will cause mass panic. They have to defeat their opponent…or… "

"Who created such a puny device?" Kakashi asks. It was _supposed_ to be designed to withhold all types of ninja—even Bijuu. "You're telling me that, by chance, this dome's only weakness was _hit_ from the very thing designed to work within it?"

She dips her head low and her heart-shaped buns bounce in return. "I'm sorry, sir. It needed to be tested further, but everyone was anxious to start."

"Their anxiety will kill my students."

He hated the idea of this whole thing. Why did everything have to be big, and new, and shiny? Why did these Chunin have to fight…robots and cyborgs and all sorts of strange mecha's that they'd never use or see again? The village council hadn't had such a good track record in the past, mainly because of Danzo's influence. So Kakashi had a sinking feeling from the start.

But regardless, the blame was on him.

In the end he was Hokage, and he had the final say in all matters. Kakashi had agreed to this new setup. It was a blatant show of their newly acquired funds—what with all of Konoha being rebuilt at the Uchiha's expense. With their excess money the elders saw to it that they would become the wealthiest of nations. This meant extravagance.

"The entire database has glitches." A man hollers. "The environment is still there…but the trees and grass and ponds, even Cyber Language—they're all completely invisible."

"Separate Sakura from Cyber Language." Kakashi barks. As their fingers fly on the keys around them, more bad news is spread.

"We can't. Everything is askew."

The Hokage growls, letting the rumble roll deep within his throat. "Which means?"

This time, the man doesn't need to explain. On the high definition display, Sasuke runs towards them with his _Chidori_ sparking. He's stopped by _nothing_ , as though an object battled against him.

The fact that Sasuke could use his old move more than once made something pop into the Rokudaime's head. "I thought we couldn't remove their chakra bands?"

"We can't. He's…he's breaking through them, Lord Hokage."

Sasuke never ceased to amaze his old teacher. In the direst of situations, the boy had always come through. "So what are we supposed to do? Watch this play out and twiddle our fingers?"

When no one answers, Kakashi lets out a defeated sigh. "Get Shizune…I have a feeling this will not end well."

* * *

The false scent of the world he'd been forced into for the past four days wafted away almost immediately. He should have noticed the smell of the people bombarding them—camera crews who had witnessed the scene play out helplessly, the sterile aroma of the nurse that ran up towards them—but Sakura's vanilla balm filled his nostrils and it's the only fragrance that mattered. He dropped to his knees, keeping her tight within his hold.

"We did it?" She asks, touching his cheek with a hand that was not rough like a ninja's should be.

Sasuke probably looked pitiful to her. After his new technique had made its way past her abdomen, he'd sprinted and caught her before she hit the ground. The blankness of their landscape fragmented back into reality swiftly, dizzyingly. Sakura righted him, though. Her eyes steadied him and he couldn't look away because he loved the color—because he loved that she could see so far into his very dark soul.

When the crowd surrounded him he had turned defensive, pulling her lolling head to the curve of his neck. He searched the horde for someone he knew, someone that would help, because Sakura was _hurt._

"Sasuke, it's alright."

He looks up at the curvaceous woman in front of him. Her hand is extended, and before she can touch Sakura's shoulder he jerks away. "Fuck off,"

Her soft face turns angry in seconds. "If you don't give me Sakura she could get very ill! We need to get her to the hospital!"

When she tries to take her forcefully, Sasuke unsheathes his sword and lays the blade on her neck. He would kill her if she touched her again. The cameramen record, capturing the demonic snarl and that escapes Sasuke's lips. " _Fuck off,_ "

"Sasuke?" This voice is familiar. In his traditional cloak and hat, Kakashi walks through the parting group and opens his arms. "This is Shizune, she's Sakura's friend. Hand her to me, we need to get her checked out."

But Sasuke is reluctant to pass her off. Where the hell was Kakashi when that robot tried to suffocate Sakura? He'd made such a big show of modifying everything in the arena. Did he think Sakura's life could be pawned? Did Kakashi have some sort of agenda against her?

"We could have been killed." He snaps, wrapping his arms tightly around Sakura's motionless body. She's already let the blackness take over. "You're the last person I'll hand her to."

"I can explain everything to you." He begins. "But we _have_ to get Sakura—"

Over the crowd he hears Ino Yamanaka's voice. She's calling out to them, and Sasuke doesn't care who he bumps into or sidesteps because he has to get to her. He knows that Ino and Sakura are _friends_ —and Ino has to help him.

"S-Sasuke what…" Her voice trails off as he thrusts the girl into her own grasp.

"Fix her," Sasuke speaks to her so rapidly that she almost can't understand. The whole thing is fucking weird—she's never seen such a look on the second sexiest man in all of Konoha (after Sai, of course). The dark-haired Uchiha was livid and impassioned all at once. Sakura's head bobs as he readjusts her, thrusting the woman into Ino's arms.

Ino and Choji had failed just as the second robot appeared. Choji had finished off the first taijutsu thing in a flash, but the genjutsu had been too strong for him and Ino had already projected her _Mind Transfer_ Jutsu. They were both left vulnerable. She woke up only a day before with a big-ass migraine and a big-ass attitude.

The blonde had been at the hospital with Shizune, taking over Sakura's shifts, eating soggy noodles and complaining about how _oblivious_ Sai was when an official summon led them straight to the battle arena.

 _"It's Sakura and Sasuke."_ Shizune had said.

So, with her big-eyed, too-thin friend safely curled into her grip, Ino obeyed. "S-Sure,"

Shizune comes up from behind with a stretcher and together they heave the girl onto the tarp. "I'll check her vitals, take her to the emergency unit after." Her teacher says, barking out orders as she looks over the pale girl laid out on the ground.

Sasuke glares as the woman reaches out. He asked _Ino_ to help—not _them_. Sakura's on the cold floor, her skin is bluish, her face is red and she needs a bed.

When he takes a step forwards he's stopped by Ino's hand. He lets his eyes snap towards her, not bothering to hold back the disgust that radiated off of him. He _doesn't like to be touched._

"S-S-Shizune is Tsunade's…um…underling…" Ino explains, stuttering over his words at his intense gaze. "We'll take good care of Sakura, I promise."

Kakashi comes up to them. He's not offended by the earlier back talk. The man points to Sasuke's shirt and speaks with authority. "You need to worry about yourself before you do anything else, Sasuke."

Sasuke whips his head around to glare at the Rokudaime. "You need to worry about yourself, too."

Such a ballsy threat. Kakashi knew he meant every word of silver-haired man waves his hand around nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders and letting a sigh escape past his mask. "Yes, yes, you're going to kick my ass. I'll explain everything. But we _need_ to get you to the hospital first."

"I don't _need_ a hospital." Sasuke hadn't been injured. Sakura had protected him and she'd already healed his shredded arm. But when Kakashi points to the dark patch of blood on his black shirt, Sasuke wonders why he didn't notice it before. He pulls up his top and sees unmarred flesh. If the blood didn't belong to him—

"It's from Sakura." He says, remembering the wound on her stomach from the night before. He'd seen the patch on her towel. His eyes scanned her bare stomach but there was nothing there. Her skin was taught and bruised, but there was no blood.

He shrugs his shirt off completely, laying it over her out of respect. His hand brushes against the top of her shorts, and by chance Sasuke looks lower. He scans her leg wound. It's completely healed and bandaged properly.

Then he sees it. _There,_ on her upper inner thigh is a pink smeared patch. His hand parts her leg and he stares at her middle. Her blood had seeped through her own black bottoms and transferred to his clothing. Had she been cut? He reaches to remove her bottoms but he hears Kakashi clear his throat.

He looks up to a blushing Ino, and Shizune moves his hand delicately, so as not to anger him. She squeezes it in a way that reminded him of his mother when she tried to get a point across. "That's nothing to worry about—we'll get her all fixed up. Okay?"

Sasuke had a hard time trusting people. But, his track record couldn't be worse than this woman's. In all, Sasuke's almost killed Sakura about five times and that's something even hardened criminals couldn't brag about. He lets them take her and follows Kakashi, who offers him a shower and a meal and a heart-to-heart conversation. It would include everything from what had happened in the dome, to what a woman's time-of-month involved.

* * *

It was raining. Humidity engulfed her, making her hair stick to her forehead and her lips crack. She woke up slowly, recognizing the smell of her hospital and the threadbare sheets that were tucked around her.

"So, the beast arises."

Sakura turns her head towards Ino, who pops bubblegum and flips to the next page of her magazine. Her bangs are covering her eye and she licks her finger, dog-ears the photo she was looking at, and lays the booklet in her lap. "It took you long enough."

"What's going on…?" Sakura asks. Her voice is scratchy and she needs a glass of ice water. The sweating, clear plastic up next to her would have to do. It's lukewarm but wet enough to quench her throat.

"Well, you keep almost dying and it's _kinda_ pissing everyone off."

Sakura didn't need to remember what had happened. She didn't think of it as a dream at all. "How's Sasuke?"

Ino shakes her head, letting her eyes downcast as she reaches for her friend's hand. The licks her lips before she speaks, as if her lie needed lubrication. "He's probably wishing death upon himself."

Sakura tries sitting up, but the IV in her hand protests. She stares at the dried blood and frantically calls out to Ino. "What do you mean? Take me to him—he didn't do anything I didn't want him to do. I know he won't hurt me—I told him—he promised me and—"

The woman cackles, throwing her long ponytail back over her shoulder. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'd be more worried about your _period blood_ all over the front of his shirt."

A blush creeps over the bridge Sakura's nose and she hides her face in mortification. "I didn't…please tell me I didn't."

"Honey, honey, honeyhoneyhoneyhoney, you _totally_ freaking **did**." She grabs the pink plastic cup and pours ice from her own drink in it, offering her best friend a piece of gum. "Take it, your breath reeks. You've got a lot of talking to do and I'd rather not pass out."

Sakura groans. Her whole body is stiff from being suffocated and there's a deep pain in the core of her womb where his bullet passed through. She'd been thoroughly beaten and her body told all. Her hand reached up to her throat, to the sore yellow-blue stains that littered the skin, and she rubs it sympathetically. _Poor me…_ "And what exactly do I need to talk to you about?"

Ino pulls the sheet away from Sakura and disconnects the port of her IV. She's dressed in her scrubs, so she was either in the middle of a shift or she'd just gotten off of one. "Let's go to my house."

* * *

Ino's home always smelled exotic. It was large and built for a massive family—she had all sorts of aunts and uncles and cousins that Sakura could never remember. They walk into the lobby and past the rows upon rows of photos and potted plants until Ino's messy, pigsty of a room appeared beyond the open door.

Although Ino was 19, she still lived at home. Traditionally a woman wasn't supposed to leave until she was married, and Ino had been on the lookout for a shotgun wedding with a handsome suiter. Mostly so she could have an entire house to herself. "I have like, no room for my clothes. I've already filled the hall closet. This is really ridiculous!"

Sakura didn't understand why Ino had so many outfits anyways—she only wore purples and whites and the same style since they were kids. Sakura pushed aside a pile of unclean linen and plopped down, letting her aching joints ease into the lambskin chair.

Ino was a medical ninja now, too. Sakura had trained her before the war, and Shizune had taken over with the basic on poisons and autopsies. The tall, curvaceous woman pulled out a heating pad and plugged it into the outlet closest to Sakura, laying the mat directly over her bellybutton. "I thought you were done having your period?"

During her fight with Sasori, Sakura had stepped in front of Lady Chiyo to block his sword. It's a move that she would not ever regret—but that didn't change the hurt of her empty womb. Once the uterus had been pierced, it was impossible to heal, even if it was just the outer corner. Standard medical ninjutsu could not reverse time. "I thought so, too. It's been six months since I last "spotted", and now it's a full-blown—"

Ino waves her hand in the air. "I get it, I get it."

The blue-eyed woman looks at her slumped friend, who'd been through the ringer. Life had not been kind to her—or anyone else. Sakura had always been a sensitive soul, even as a child and the cruelties of the world chipped her heart. "He could still choose you, you know."

Sakura wasn't as childish as she looked. She might have daydreamed of impossible things every once in a while, but she couldn't even imagine this unobtainable fantasy.

Sakura had thought of having sex with Sasuke. Sometimes the touches and kisses were so real that she woke up feeling…gooey. She thought of fighting beside him, groaning underneath him, and even morbid things like dying by his blade.

In all of her foolish woolgathering's, Sakura had never dreamed of becoming _the_ Uchiha matriarch. Pregnancy was a figment of her imagination. It would be hard enough to find a common man that wouldn't mind her unfruitful womb—much less the _crown prince_.

No…that's not right. Sasuke Uchiha was King to his clan. He was no prince—he was all that was left. That lowered the possibilities all the more.

"He's going to restore his clan, remember? I told you what he said when Team 7 introduced ourselves…don't make me hopeful, Ino."

Ino leans into her mattress, toeing off her socks and dragging down her skirt. She's only in a frilly pair of panties and a purple crop-top, showing off unmarred skin and well defined muscles. "Well, then don't marry him. Be his mistress. You could be my kid's rich aunt that spoils them and _don't need no man_. Play the field. Kiss someone you'll never remember. Why does it just have to be… _him_?"

"Because…" her voice shrinks as she looks up at the florescent lights, letting the brightness fall over her. "…he's the only one."

The blond didn't care for cliché's. "This is why people always see you as a child, you know that?" Her voice rises, but Sakura does not flinch. Ino had always been brutally honest. "If he doesn't want you, then goddamn it, _make_ him want you!"

"That's the thing." The heating pad tumbles to the ground as she stands. "I saw his mind, Ino. He does want me—almost as much as I want him. There's something missing, though. He doesn't want to claim me or make love to me…it's nothing like the books we used to read."

"So, what…he's somehow attracted to your lanky physique and finds your forehead…attractive?"

Sakura huffs and crosses her arms. "I don't know. I don't know what the hell is going on and it's like, every time something is going to happen he pulls away. We almost…" her pinky slides across her upper lip. "…he almost kissed me."

A light goes off in Ino's head. If Sasuke had these feelings, and purposefully refused to jump in her waters…maybe all he needed was a push. "So…seduce him."

Did Ino forget she was speaking to a virgin? Not only had Sakura never touched a man sexually, the 19-year-old had _never even been kissed_. Her eyes roll like a teenager being scolded. "Oh, yeah, right. Let me just throw on a fuzzy thong and drop a kunai in front of him."

Ino sends her attitude back. "You wouldn't even know what to do if it got that far. And maybe that's why he's not willing to bite the bait. He still sees you as fan-girl, Genin Sakura that squealed his name every three seconds. You just…have to prove to him that you're a woman."

"And how do I do that?"

The blond bombshell across from her had always been blessed in the male department. She _was_ the type to play the field—completely confident in her sexuality and never one to become bashful, (except in the presence of Sai). She'd dropped her feelings for Sasuke just after the war, moving on to bigger and better things. "Well, first off, you can't just wait around for your first kiss to be with Sasuke."

"So who should it be with?"

"Anyone, really…anyone you can stomach. Hang out with Ten-Ten and I tonight and we'll hook you up. There's a party at the bar by Ichiraku's. "

Sakura wasn't sure about any of this. It didn't feel right—playing with another person's heart for her own personal gain…doing things she wasn't comfortable with just to get Sasuke to notice her as more than an adolescent. But what other choice did she have? The only reason Sasuke was so open with her (if open was what you could call it) was because they were practically the only two that mattered in the arena. They _had_ to rely on each other.

It was the real world now, and Sakura didn't think she could go days without seeing Sasuke knowing he was only a stairs-climb away…knowing that he had craved her body and purposely snuffed out the flames all because she was an inexperienced crybaby.

So, why couldn't she? Why couldn't Sakura go out and have fun make love someone that wouldn't care how strong she was, wouldn't care if she could have children, and wouldn't care if she left the next morning without looking back?

"Okay," She says, making sure her voice wasn't shaky. She refused to be afraid of this. Her whole revolved around Sasuke and Naruto—she would do anything for them. They had may more lives to save. If Sasuke wanted a woman, Sasuke would get a woman. She would do anything for him. She wanted to make him happy, even if it meant doing things she did not want to do. Sakura could not lose him again.


	25. Chapter 25: I've been staying here

Chapter 25: I've been staying here.

Sakura's house was dark and cluttered, having been unlived in for the past four days. Each step caused the floor to protest, groaning as each boot slid past one another until the smooth wooden door of her bathroom greeted him. He stripped in the darkness, letting his pants pool around his ankles.

The setting sun ricocheted off of the mirror, lighting up Sasuke's face and his purple rimmed eye. He leaned over the sink.

A thatch of unruly black hair tousled his head, jutting out every which way and falling into his face as he leaned closer. He had never really cared to look at himself—he had grown tired of the dead eyes and sunken cheeks that stared back. Tentatively, as if his lips had been split in half, he touched them.

Once more, he'd tried to kiss her.

Once more, he'd almost killed her.

The water ran too hot, but it washed away the grime easier and he thought that he deserved a bit of pain. After he and Naruto had fought for the last time, when Sasuke was sure he'd wake up in hell, one phrase stuck closely to his ear. Kakashi had said, all those years ago, that: _Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum._

How did you wash away scum? Was it even possible?

He dug his nails into his forearms and watched a red trail mark the already pinked flesh. Steam swirled and his lungs filled—too often he'd taken breathing for granted.

Sasuke had always had a will—whether it was a will to live or a will to die, a will to destroy or a will to hate. He'd told himself that his sins needed to be absolved, and he left Naruto and Kakashi and Sakura to find _himself_ in far off lands with unfamiliar faces.

He'd had sex three times in his adult life. Three times, with three different women, with three different names and faces he never cared to remember or ask for. There was nothing to it—no kiss, no touching, just a wild release. It didn't matter where he searched, he couldn't seem to find his inner peace among them.

He watched the water roll from his chest to the reddened patch of flecked, dried blood that belonged to Sakura. Sasuke places his palm along his abdominals.

Kakashi had taken him to the Hokage tower, told him of the strange mishap and how they couldn't do anything until Cy-Lan was defeated or one of them was incapacitated. Sasuke thought that this whole Jōnin Exam thing had been one huge shit show from the start—an unnecessary power flaunt.

The conversation had turned to other things—the female body and Sakura's womanhood and why she'd been bleeding from an unseen womb. Maybe it was stupid that Sasuke had been with so many women and never thought of pregnancies or periods or anything of the sort.

No, no, it _was_ stupid. But none of that stuff mattered at the time, like it did now.

Sakura was a female—slight curves and soft skin and perfect in every way of the word. Living with her hadn't been so hard in the beginning.

But in the past few days, when it was only her and him against the world, Sasuke thought more of her womanhood and gender.

He'd sat next to her at a dinner table and conversed normally.

He'd seen her in that skimpy pair of shorts she'd been administered and he's thoughts never wavered—because it didn't matter what she wore or how she looked or what her proximity was.

Sasuke wanted her.

He wanted her in the frumpy fleece pajama bottoms she wore around him. He wanted her when she ate her meals and smiled a smile that only she could emit. He wanted her when she slept at night and dreamt of him. He wanted her all along, and hadn't even known it.

The front door opens and Sasuke jerks his head up. It wasn't quite night yet, but he'd expected Sakura wouldn't be back until later. He finishes his shower and steps out to towel himself off.

"Sasuke…?" She calls, tapping on the door softly.

He didn't bring an extra set of clothes in. Unabashed, he opens the barrier and blinks her figure into existence as the warm fog of the bathroom mixes in with the cold air of her home.

Sakura keeps her eyes on his face, because she's panicking and embarrassed and has a plan that mustn't fail. "I-I can get you something to wear. Hang on."

Before he can reach out to her she's gone, pounding up the steps to his room, to the old dresser that used to house all of her teenage outfits. She pulls out a dark shirt and bottoms that he'd folded and put away, and when she starts to head back down she's stopped.

"What did you need?"

His voice is smoky and tired, but not at all unkind. Ino had told her to play it cool—to act like he was nothing but a comrade and to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. So, Sakura brushes past him after shoving the cloth into his hands, pretending to not notice his almost nudity. "Get dressed, first. I'll make us tea."

When he's fully modest and sitting across from her, she opens her mouth to speak. The warmth of her drink keeps her fingers from shaking. "I'm going out with Ino tonight. I just thought I should tell you, in case we get back late."

Sasuke didn't like the idea at all. She'd just been shot at—by him—and had only been released from the hospital hours ago. Still, she was an adult and he was not her keeper. Her skin was flushed and healthy.

Before he can tell her to do as she pleased, the front door is thrown open and Naruto makes his grandiose entrance.

"Sakuraaa, where are you taking my wifeeee…." He bellows as he rounds the corner.

There, sitting in Sakura's girly little kitchen with stupid fake fruits and smelly, fragrant herbs was _Sasuke Uchiha_.

Naruto had heard they'd finished their round just hours after he and Hinata did. He'd bloomed with pride—Naruto Uzumaki had beaten chicken-ass-hair yet again. He hadn't even had a chance to gloat, because no one knew where he was staying and Naruto had been too tired to dig through every trashcan in Konoha to find him. So, imagine his surprise to see the bastard sitting across from Sakura with a cup of tea and a towel around his shoulders.

"What the hell?"

Sakura's eyes had widened almost impossibly. She stood, letting her chair fall back to the ground as panic flooded her veins. _Oh no, why now? If Naruto finds out Sasuke's been living with me, Sasuke will leave for sure!_ "Naruto, what are you doing barging in like that!"

Hinata slowly makes her way inside, because she was polite and waited to be invited in. It seemed there were other things to worry about, however.

"No, you answer me first!"

"You don't tell me what to do! This is my house and you can't just run in here like you own the place!"

He pulls Hinata towards him, out from her hidden spot in the hallway. "I wanted to know where you and Ino and Ten-Ten were taking my sweet cinnamon bun!"

Sakura didn't know who Ino had invited. She assumed it would just be Ten-Ten to join their little outing, but it was nice to know that modest Hinata would be joining them. Sakura rubs the spot between her eyebrows, where the beginnings of a headache started to surface, and turned towards the pearl-eyed woman. "I'm sorry, Hinata. Would you like some tea?"

Naruto takes the chair next to Sasuke, staring daggers as Sakura prepares Hinata's beverage. "What is going on here? Are you trying to threaten Sakura so you get out of our little…arrangement?"

Though Naruto tried his best to whisper, his voice echoed all around, wafting directly into Sakura's ear. She squeezed the tea-kettle, ready to pelt it at Naruto and tell him to stop bothering Sasuke for _once_ , but she's interrupted.

"I've been staying here."

The sun had finally set, letting a blue-black glow fill the kitchen even though all the lights were on. Crickets outside chirped relentlessly, as though someone had told a bad joke and they were the Gods of comedy.

But, this wasn't a joke.

"You're fucking with me."

Hinata gasps at his obscene language, because she's a respectable woman and had rarely been cursed around. She touches his shoulder, but finds that he's not tense or upset. He's smiling cockily.

Sasuke scowls, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm not laughing."

Naruto slaps his back, making the dark liquid splash out onto the table. Sakura's body moves on its own, grabbing a napkin to sop up the mess.

"No way, this is too funny! You guy are a thing now? I bet you even sleep in the same bed, you sly dog! Wait 'til Shikamaru hears about this—you're going to be the talk of the town!"

Before he can add more, Sakura speaks. Her hand scrubs diligently at the spot, wiping away nothing as she refuses to look up. "Don't tell anyone, Naruto. It's not a big deal. He just needed a place to stay."

She looks up and smiles unconvincingly.

"Should we head out?" She says, looking at Hinata. "Ino wanted to go by that new makeup store before we went to the party."

Sasuke never pegged her for the partying type. She was always engrossed in her studies and work. Her teacher _had_ been Tsunade, and Sasuke had heard rumors of her drunkenness and gambling habits. Naruto hadn't turned out to be a pervert like Jiraiya, and Sasuke wasn't a long-tongued, snake-loving maniac, so he'd assumed Sakura would skip over the bad and leave with the good.

"Why don't we all hang out?" Naruto suggests, laying his head on his wife's shoulder. Hinata smiles and pats his short spikes like they belonged to a sweet, innocent puppy dog. "I'm fun, Sasuke's kind of fun, I can get you drunk in a flash and we can go to sleep and have sloppy, steamy se—"

Hinata covers his mouth with her hand, turning beat red. Sakura's thankful.

"Because, Naruto, we need a break from you two. Why don't you and Sasuke hang out here? I don't have any alcohol, but there's a store around the corner."

Naruto ponders the thought, and while he deals with the blow of leaving his beloved behind, Sakura turns to Sasuke. She takes his mug and beams down at him, hoping it looked genuine and carefree. "We'll be back late, so keep track of Naruto and lock up for me, please?"

She turns away, leaving him in the chair as she chides her blond teammate. "Don't break anything, don't throw up anywhere, and keep the yelling to a minimum. And If I come back and you two are missing another limb, I'll end you both myself."

"Yes ma'am," The kyuubi says with a mock solute.

When the front door is closed and it's only Naruto and Sasuke, the man turns serious and peers skeptically at his brother. "Let's get drunk and tell me why you're sleeping with Sakura."

"I can't get drunk." Sasuke replies. "We don't sleep together."

"Oh, bullshit. Bullshit to both,"

Naruto remembered their time in the sage realm. Sasuke had started a fight with a wolf-dog and downed alcohol like it water. He got absolutely wasted. "I'll invite Shikamaru over—and maybe Kiba. We can all get shitfaced."

Sasuke shrugged.

Before long, Shikamaru was over with a 30-pack of carbonated beer. He slammed the box onto the table and nodded at Sasuke, apparently over their quarrel. "They're cold already. Just put them in the fridge."

Naruto obliges and grabs a handful, passing them out as he makes his way to the living room. The television blasts and the throws his feet on Sakura's coffee table, swigging his alcohol as he thumbs through the channels.

Shikamaru is just as comfortable with the layout, tapping a cigarette out of its carton and lighting it expertly. He offers one to Naruto, who refuses, and to Sasuke, who accepts.

They're menthols—cooling Sasuke's lungs as the smoke rolls over his tongue and seeps out from between his lips. He didn't smoke often. He couldn't get addicted, and the nicotine did not give him any buzz. It was just a habitual relaxation that usually only came when he meditated. Sasuke liked to drink because it burned his throat, and Sasuke liked to smoke because it filled his chest.

"Where's Kiba?" Naruto asks, settling for a commercial that flashed his own face.

He'd become a popular man. People from all over traveled to meet him. It wasn't odd to see he was being used as the poster-child for the Jōnin Exams.

"He'll be over later," Shikamaru replies, telling him to turn up the volume.

The announcer is pretty. Her hair is short and her eyes are big and her lips are painted a shade of purple that didn't really belong on someone's mouth. "It seems that Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki were the first to finish the second round of the Exams! I've always had faith in him, you know? Such a strong man—and sweet to boot! Tell me, Joruri, who do you think will come out on top?"

Joruri was a balding, elderly man with a masculine build and fiery tufts of red hair. "Sasuke Uchiha, of course, no doubt about it—He and Sakura Haruno finished second, and let me tell you, the leaked camera footage is absolutely insane!"

Sasuke leans forward.

Kakashi had said that only battles would be recorded—but that was when they knew nothing of Cy-Lan and her mental prowess. Would their thoughts be broadcast when the battle aired? He took another drag, tapping the ashes out in a makeshift tray.

"Do tell,"

"Firstly, the dynamic between the spitfire medical ninja and the brooding defector is…to put it lightly… _stunning_. There was only a two minute scene disclosed, we'll play it for you now."

Naruto watches as he takes another crisp sip. The display wasn't fuzzy; it had been filmed with a professional camera and a steady hand.

 _"Stay close to me."_ Sasuke had said. There were subtitles covering the screen in white.

Sakura nods and stands, pressing her body against his. _"I'll protect your vitals. Go in for the kill."_

It was like watching some wicked-awesome ballet. Sakura kept herself flat against Sasuke as he moved, leaping towards that damn robot that had given Naruto so much grief. The Uchiha lifted and twirled her body like a weapon. When a limb swung his way, he dug his fingertips into her hipbones and tossed her up effortlessly.

"Holy shit," Naruto blurts out, laying his beer on the coffee table as he leans closer to the TV.

Sakura's uninjured leg ripped through the thick metal and her body fell away. The emotionless man caught Sakura bridal style. She rotated around him and perfectly balanced her whole body onto his left shoulder—catlike and agile.

The announcer belted out a laugh as the quick visual faded from their own display. "Would you believe me if I told you my sources say he's never actually trained with her?"

The female anchor looked shocked. "You can't be serious. You're telling me that was completely unscripted? They worked together perfectly! Who knew fighting could be so…erotic?"

Sasuke scoffs and pops the top to his own beverage, chugging it fully. It's cold, freezing his already menthol-coated throat. When the can is downed and he looks back up, he sees that both Shikamaru and Naruto have trained their eyes on him.

"What?"

"Was that supposed to be a fight or foreplay?" His brother asks, pointing an accusing finger.

Sasuke shrugs. He could admit that it was surreal, seeing himself work alongside her. Almost like it wasn't really him that weaved her around—like wasn't the man that held her that way. "Maybe it was both."

Shikamaru cackles and smothers out his cigarette before getting out a new one. With it balanced carefully, he flicks his lighter. "So, what, you've realized your unwavering love for her after three whole days?"

"Doubtful," Naruto responds for him. He's already guzzling his fourth drink, not bothering to savor the taste. "It's probably more like—"I'm horny, you're cute, let's do it."—don't you think?"

"Maybe it's both," he says again, standing up before Kiba has a chance to knock on the door. "I really don't know."

The dog-like man doesn't seem surprised in the least to see Sasuke. He immediately makes his way in, pulling out two bottles of hard liquor and Sake. "I just stole this from Ino."

Naruto jerks his head up. "Did you see Hinata? Is she alright?"

Kiba rolls his brown eyes and opens his brew, tipping the bottle back. After a lengthy sip, he offers the whiskey to Sasuke, who takes an even longer swig. "Yeah, yeah, Hinata and Sakura were curled up together while Ino toted them around. They were at that place by Ichiraku—I was leaving when they stumbled out. Ten-Ten's already got a suiter."

"What is my baby wearing?" Naruto mumbled. "It's not the red dress is it; the one with the slit up the side?"

Kiba sits down next to him and throws his arms back. "I don't know man. I was too busy looking at Sakura. She's in black and _hella_ fine."

Sasuke sits down again, placing the alcohol on the table and leaning into the seat. It smells like her—everything in this house did.

"Be careful talking like that," Shikamaru says, taking the remote from Naruto. He rewinds it to the newscast, and Sasuke watches the scene all over again. "She's Sasuke's new love interest."

Naruto cackles when Sasuke turns to look at him plainly. The Uchiha hadn't really ever been teased.

* * *

Before long, they've all turned into stumbling fools. Sasuke's eyes are closed as he listens to some movie in the background, two men babbling on about who would kill the other to avenge their family. There's a smashing noise from down the hall—the bathroom—and he wonders what kind of eulogy he should prepare for Naruto at his funeral once Sakura finds out.

"Why aren't you acting all jealous?" The kyuubi says, sitting next to Sasuke and throwing his legs into his lap. "She could be making out with some guy right now and you're just as mellow as can be."

He hadn't thought of it. "I've no reason to be jealous."

Shikamaru's slurry voice is muffled from his face-down position on the couch. Sasuke was sure he'd passed out hours ago. "You like her, and she's out doing whatever she wants, and you don't even give a shit? That's not cool, man."

It was probably because Sasuke knew Sakura was not his. She didn't belong to anyone. Besides, it certainly didn't matter to him whether she'd had a past or not—he was tired of being a hypocrite.

The wet-dream that she'd unknowingly sent to him replayed behind his closed lids. It was just touching and kissing—not any type of insertion at all. It was practically PG-13. She was pretty innocent.

He stands to leave, making his way up the stairs to his borrowed room when he hears a loud, annoying snore that belonged to Kiba. He'd made his way to Sasuke's borrowed bed and knocked himself out. The curtains were tangled around him and the duvet was on the floor.

He shook his head, making his way back down to find that Shikamaru had taken over the sofa and Naruto, the recliner. Sasuke's eyes were starting to water from sleeplessness, and the kitchen table was calling his name.

Just as he removed the bowl of wax fruit and just started to stretch out, the jangle of a key met his ears. Sakura walked through her front door.

"What…the hell."


	26. Chapter 26: I'm a woman

Chapter 26: I'm a woman.

The night air was cold. Steps echo as two bodies drift in and out of yellow rays. Bugs swarm the lampposts, buzzing above them in a dull hum.

Sakura's head is not clouded with drunkenness and her eyes are keen; she hadn't drunk a single drop of liquor. She did, however, gorge herself on sushi and ginger, and that was a high in itself.

The young woman pauses briefly to adjust the blistering strap on her borrowed sandals, wishing she'd thought to bandage her heel.

"Did you have a good time?" A deep voice calls out as he waits.

Sakura looks up at the young man. He smells like alcohol but his steps are sure and composed—he's almost as sober as she is. He makes for a good shelf to lean on, and she brazenly grasps his shoulder while she fixes her shoe. With a smile, she says, "I don't hang out with my friends very often, so it was fun."

Hinata had retired early after a sudden bout of nausea, so Sakura was left babysitting Ten-Ten and Ino. It wasn't so bad—Sakura didn't like to drink much anyways. It was good to roam around without worrying about work or exams or _Sasuke Uchiha._ She couldn't remember ever feeling so carefree.

They walk up her doorsteps and she notices something off-colored in her bushes. Carefully leaning down, making sure her dress did not rise up, she plucks up faux bird that had fallen from her wreath.

"How did that get here?" She mumbles to herself.

Yuma Hojo scratches the back of his head timidly. He doesn't know what to say—he's never been much of a flirter. He wants to hear more of her sweet voice, though, and he'd even stoop to discussing _work_. "So, are you happy you passed the second part of the exam? It was...really hard."

The woman fiddles with the hot glue on the fowl's body and peels it off with her thumbnail. It falls onto her wooden porch, settling between an open gap. "Yeah…it was hard, wasn't it? I'm not into sci-fi stuff, and I was super freaked out about our last opponent. It really threw me for a loop. Thankfully, I had a really good partner."

There's a silence that grows between them, because Sakura is worried about how she'll fix her ugly bird to the fake flowers on her wreath. Super glue, maybe…could she sew it? And Hojo isn't sure how to keep the conversation going.

"Hey um…" He clears his throat. "You don't…remember me, do you?"

The puce-haired woman turns her gaze upon him. His looks were not exotic or noteworthy—brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin—but he had a good build and a handsome face. Sakura turns her head to the side like a confused puppy, wondering where his strange question had come from.

"You're Hojo," He'd told her is name already, hadn't he?

He leans in suddenly and she can see the flush of his cheeks. He sways smiles a boyish smile. Maybe, in a different life, she'd think it was cute.

"I confessed to you during the war." The man admits, looking down at the loose bit of hot glue.

She steps back and takes him in fully. Sakura remembered almost all of her patients, after all. The blur of war certainly hadn't caused her memory to fade, had it? There was no doubt, though. It really was him.

"I didn't recognize you without your head wrapped up and that cast on your arm! I'm so sorry. I feel awful!"

He laughs and pulls at the hem of his shirt. "It's alright. I look a lot better now, after all. I don't remember if I properly thanked you."

His eyes aren't a normal type of brown after all. He nears her and Sakura can see little speckles of yellow and green—hazel. It was stunning, after all. She sends him a brilliant grin. "I was just doing my job, don't worry about it."

She places her hand on his shoulder to signify a friendly goodbye, but suddenly he's too close. He takes her open stance and polite touches a different way. He advances and Sakura recoils, jerking away unexpectedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry…I don't—"

Hojo blanches. "You…don't…?"

But, why didn't she? Wasn't a situation like this the whole point of her outing? She'd spent most of the party keeping Ino out of other people's drinks (meningitis, hello?) and Ten-Ten off of the table. As fate would have it, Hojo had offered to walk all three women home. And, as fate would have it, Sakura lived the farthest away.

So, if the Gods had lined up a perfectly agreeable practice romance, why did Sakura feel that it was so incredibly…imperfect?

"I…I just…we haven't even been on a date or anything…"

Was that really a good excuse? The mad didn't seem too perturbed at her announcement, so maybe it sounded convincing enough.

"I understand." He says, grabbing her hand and pecking her ring. "I'll see you again soon, okay?"

He bounds down the steps with a new bounce in his walk. She waits until he disappears into the darkness of the evening before reaching for the hidden key under her dying plants. When her key unlocks the door and she enters her home, the smell of beer and smoke fill her nostrils immediately.

 _Why does it smell so strongly?_ Slowly, Sakura scans, taking in her once-tidy home.

Laid out on her sofa, half on and half off, was Naruto Uzumaki. He still had a bottle wrapped in his palm and his mouth was wide open, oozing a stream of drool to her favorite couch pillow.

Shikamaru's hair was down, fanning his face as a cool breeze drifted in from behind her. He had tucked his feet under the cushions of the loveseat, not bothering to find a blanket or even a towel to wrap up in.

She shakes her head and her anger rises. Everything was a mess, like wild pigs had been set loose to build up their sty! The woman rounds the corner, praying that her kitchen had been untampered with, and sees a purple glow.

Sasuke's _Rinnegan_ dances in the dimness just as he starts to climb up onto her _fucking_ table. What was this, a hotel? He had his own bed!

"What…the hell."

Her fury was on full-force. He was the only one awake, and the only one she could take her attitude out on. "What is going on? I _thought_ it was just going to be you and Naruto! Who the else did you guys invite into my home?"

Sasuke stands tall, towering above her as he enters her proximity. He is not the dominant one here, however. Thinking quickly, the man puts the blame on the true villain. "Naruto called Kiba and Shikamaru,"

 _Guy code? What "guy code"?_

She sighs and takes her heels off slowly, careful not to tug at the sensitive skin on her toes. They've been crushed together, and her little pinky was still slightly bruised. "Well, if dumb and dumber are in the TV room, I'm guessing Kiba took the attic then, huh?"

She had healed all three men in the middle of the night at least once. Naruto was quick to head home, and Shikamaru politely asked to borrow her couch. Kiba was the only one that took over the spare bed—like an overly obligated house pet. Sakura understands why he was climbing onto her table, now.

"Please don't tell me you were going to sleep on that."

So, Sasuke doesn't tell her.

She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl into her bed and sleep her life away, but Sasuke _was_ a houseguest. She certainly wouldn't win his heart by forcing him to sleep on the ground. With a sigh, she takes his hand. Thinking innocent thoughts, the woman pulls Sasuke down the hallway and ignores his scolding.

"Don't pull so hard." He says as she opens the door to her bedroom.

It's…a very strange place.

Sakura makes her way to the vanity and sits down, taking off fake jewelry and throwing it into a makeshift jewelry box. It's wooden and old—the hinges are rusted so it didn't even close properly. "Let me take this stuff off, and I'll be out of your way."

His eyes scan the room as she lets down her hair. It's dim. Only the light from the hallway spilled in, because the windows were double curtained and blocked off the moonlight. Most importantly, the space was void of flowers and teddy bears and all other sorts of exaggeratedly feminine things. She didn't have flashy pink walls and glittery light fixtures. Instead, it was filled with muted tones of gunmetal gray and white. The only dash of color belonged to the blue comforter on her bed, and it had to be one of the largest sleeping futons he'd ever seen.

The mattress within her tomb stretched from wall to wall, like two king-sized futons had been pressed together. It was topped with a bundled sheets and blankets, stockpiled directly center. She was a bird and that _lump_ was her nest.

"You can sleep here. I'm going to take a shower and head to Ino's." Sakura says offhandedly as she straightens up her dressers. She fixes a stack of papers, turns on her ceiling fan, and when she heads for the door Sasuke's body moves before he can process it.

He catches her arm and explains his reasoning. "It's your room. You sleep here."

Sakura had been out for hours. She might still be injured from his Lightening Pistol, too. Daylight would come soon; there was no reason to walk all the way to her friends' when she had a room and a home to herself.

She releases his grip, shaking her head. "I don't think it's proper for me to stay here with four drunken boys around."

It wasn't that she didn't trust them. In fact, she could put her life in each one of their hands and be okay with whatever they chose. Her mother had raised her with proper, jaded morals, though. And as innocent as it may be, her stomach churned at the inappropriateness.

But…hadn't she allowed Sasuke to stay with her? Why did she not feel bad about _that_?

If anyone understood propriety, it was Sasuke. "Three boys, and one sober man." he corrected with as stern expression. "You can trust me."

Her face heats up. In her sleep-deprived mind, she saw him as a chivalrous knight in polished armor. Was she more suited for damsel in distress? No, no, Sakura was the fairytale dragon. "I can't let you sleep on the floor in good conscience."

Why…

…did he have to sleep on the floor? She's seen her bed, hasn't she?

But, Sasuke truly understood their conundrum. She was a _good_ woman after all; the type that gave herself to a man on her wedding night after exchanging heartfelt vows. She was respectable, keeping pleasantries and appropriateness at the top of her list.

"Unless," She says, trying to sound casual even though her heart thrummed painfully. "…you don't mind sleeping with me?" _Oh God, oh God, "sleeping with me"? You're kind of jumping the gun there, idiot!_

She watches his eyes as he mulled over her expression, searching for any sign of inappropriateness or hesitance. Sakura knows he would never agree to sleep next to her if she had other implications. Good for her that, this time, she was not being a total pervert.

"Okay," He says finally, lifting the strain from her chest.

She nods once with a fake nonchalance and leaves, making her way quietly to the kitchen landline. She dials a familiar phone number and waits for her friend to pick up, eyeing the sleeping men adjacent to her.

Ino's voice is still laced with inebriation. "Wha…?"

"It's Sakura. Sasuke's gonna sleep with me tonight. Give me your best advice." The girl whispers hurriedly.

There's a mishandling on the other end like Ino had dropped the receiver. Her voice sounds far away as she screams a curse word, and then the sober, no-nonsense blonde Sakura had known for most of her life bombarded her with questions. "Do you mean sleep, like "zzz" or sleep like "uh-uh-uh"?"

"Zzz," Sakura replies as she mimics a snore. "Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto are all passed out everywhere. I told you that Sasuke's been staying with me—remember? Well, dog-for-brains took the spare bed and now it's either me or the linoleum."

Ino cackles. "Okay, so, obviously you've got to wear something suggestive. Do you have lingerie?"

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I cleaned in my lace panties just yesterday. Don't be stupid! Why would I own _that_ stuff? Besides, I'm still—"

Her best friend groans, already knowing the excuse. How long did this chick bleed? Hasn't it been a week already? "Find an oversized shirt and a decent pair of bottoms, then. And shave, for fucks sake."

Sakura twirls her finger around the white cord of her phone, taking in all of Ino's advice.

"Don't put on anything too strong smelling—guys hate that. When you get into bed, stay far away, maybe turn on the TV and act like it's not that big of a deal. Pretend to drift off, reach out to him, and maybe curl up like a sleepy kitten. Then, when he least expects it…BAM—"

Sakura jumps.

"Reach up and kiss that cocky asshole! You've got it, Sakura!"

* * *

When her shower is done, and she's accidentally cut a huge gash into her knee that she heals messily, Sakura makes her way to the laundry area. She thumbs through her clothing, settling for another faded sweater that belonged to her dad, and the normal spandex she wore under her ninja skirt when she battled. This was…cute enough, right?

The door to her room slightly ajar, but light does not seep out through the opening. Perhaps he was asleep.

She pops her head in and is relieved to see that he's sitting cross-legged atop her bed. His chest rises and drops while he meditates, stimulating his mind. Sakura wonders why chooses to fall into this state. What was he searching for in the confines of his spirituality? The neckline of his shirt is plunged, showing the exposed lines of his collarbones and the scar of his cursed seal.

The woman sits at her vanity as silently as possible, so as not to disturb him. While he found relaxation within himself, Sakura searches for peace in her tall vanity mirror.

The woman had felt confident on the way to her room. But her resolve starts to fall as a doe-eyed girl with puffy cheeks looks back. Her nose is narrow and small, much better suited for an academy student rather than a doctor. The pullover draped across her shoulders was at least three sizes too large and it left a figureless form in its wake.

Lashes too long, lips too thin, a plain face that never wore an inch of makeup…she was just a child with a fragile heart and a foolish mind.

Sasuke…was a man. He was bred to slay with his good looks and mysteriously charming detachment. In all of her life, she'd never seen him as anything less than flawless, and the unflattering view that was her own face seemed to shatter her spirit into a million unrecoverable pieces.

"Are you tired?" Sasuke asks, pulling her from her depression.

She turns and elongates her arms, pretending that the saltine droplet that fell from her eye was caused by the jaw-breaking yawn that followed. What a silly thing she was, crying over such nonsense... "I could watch a little television. Is…uh…that okay?"

She needed to follow through; it was now or never.

Sasuke watches as she hands him the remote and sits awkwardly on the edge of the bed, pretending to be engulfed in the advertisement about pots and pans. He follows the lines of her long, toned, legs as they peek out from the hem of a man's shirt. He's drawn to the creaminess and wants nothing more than to reach out and feel Sakura Haruno for all that she was.

It was not lust, and not love either. Never in a million years would he dream of hurting her again. He knows she's afraid of this—this closeness, these…feelings. Her distance was obvious. As much as he didn't want his nightmares become realities, Sasuke knew that all too often, they did.

He didn't want to hurt her. He _didn't._ So with a delicate precision, like she's made of glass, Sasuke brushes her shoulder. She turns after a startled jump, widening her eyes in surprise.

"You can trust me."

She blinks away her shock. Of…course she could. He wasn't a…monster. He wasn't the criminal everyone thought he was, or the felon he used to be. Sasuke was a respectful man from a traditional family that had strayed.

She'd seen his innermost thoughts once before—his vulgar desires as he fell from the high of battle. That wasn't Sasuke Uchiha, though. That was Orochimaru's puppet, falling victim to his immoral past.

Would she learn of that past?

If Sakura was honest, she'd say that no one had met the _real_ Sasuke Uchiha yet—perhaps not even himself. She smiles and lowers her stiffened shoulders, growing comfortable in his presence.

"I do trust you, Sasuke…with all of my heart."

Maybe he denied her advances and embraces because he was still getting to learn who he really was. Or, maybe he just didn't find her all that intriguing. She knew he at least had sexual wants and needs—she'd felt them as if they belonged to her. Whatever reason there was behind his dodges and recoils, Sakura knew would find out soon enough.

Before long, the TV turns off her body concaves into the mattress. Her room is obscured of any light, and the sounds of night bugs flitter in from miles and miles away. The woman is curled into her blankets, staring into obsidian nothingness as she searches for her courage within.

He feels her hand reach towards him, brushing against the outline of his spine. The Uchiha scoots away, giving her more space though he's almost touching the wall. The ceiling fan whirrs in above them and Sakura's dejected sigh reaches his ears almost immediately, snuffing out the crickets chirp.

She calls out to him in the blackness, questioning his actions. "Do you hate me, Sasuke?"

He turns towards her.

Sasuke has hated a lot of people in his life, it was true. He's never been good at portraying his feelings. Dainty expressions of love and passion had rarely passed through his mind, anyways. Still, the worst he's ever paired with Sakura was discontent, or perhaps annoyance from time to time. Hate and Sakura simply did not mix. He can only blame himself for his inability to express emotion properly—it was all incredibly draining.

"No," He replies sternly.

She escapes from her nest, hoping she was facing him. "I saw what you felt during the exams. You touch me, protect me, and treat me like I mean something when we're battling. But every other time I'm just some… infuriating pest. You won't even let me touch you—never, unless my hands are glowing."

 _Ah._

He'd hoped she wouldn't bring that up. What should he say? He didn't reject the lust he felt within, but he would never turn it upon her. Silly fantasies were nothing like real life. She was too sweet, too kind, too—

"I'm not stupid, you know. I get that I look like a child to everyone. Well I'm _not_. I'm a _woman_."

He is taken aback for a moment.

 _Of course_ she was a woman—he'd never seen her as anything but. She had blossomed in The Forest of Death as she guarded Naruto and himself, and fought against three enimies far stronger than she was. She was a warrior from that day on—undeserving of every bruise and cut, but taking them all so well.

Sakura had been a woman long before any of their other classmates. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had lost their childhood innocents rather early.

"You are," He agrees.

It's like she can't hear anything he's saying, because she's so engulfed in misery. Every petty comment anyone has every thrown her way has finally stopped churning within her and spewed out. "I'm only nineteen, I get that. But I've saved lives; I've battled with the best of them. I'm strong and independent and even though I don't always like my reflection, I know that I'm _worth_ something."

He props his head on the heel of his hand, listening fully.

"I'm smart. I learn quickly and I observe _everything_. I care for others genuinely. It's hard to keep up with the great Sasuke and Naruto but I'd say I hold my own! And…and maybe I talk too much and get overly aggressive, but is that really such a bad thing?"

"No, it's not a bad thing." Sasuke says.

"I don't have an hourglass figure, so what? I have no idea what I'm doing, who cares? I think that I at least owe it to myself to try. I'm…I'm worth _that._ I want it."

Sasuke blinks. "What do you want?"

Her voice is confident, but her body shakes. In this moment, it feels like he is a priest and she, a sinner, confessing her most buried secret. Sakura decides to take a leap, after her random speech fades into the background. The woman walks off of a mountain and falls into an obsidian abyss—her stomach drops, her hands turn clammy and she says: "I want to kiss you, Sasuke, more than anything in this world."

She doesn't hear anything for a while, but she doesn't regret her boldness. When Sasuke left after these exams, at least she could say that she _tried_ , and regret wouldn't wrap around her heart so harshly.

Sakura drums her fingers on her knee as the man across from her slowly inhales a deep, lengthy breath.

He couldn't understand her inner turmoil or why she was so passionate in this moment. He was at least partly to blame for the disorder in her head. She was both confident and unconfident at the same time. Sasuke knew she was strong in battle, but didn't like her to train with others. Sasuke knew she was more than just a medic, but only valued her healing skills. Sasuke knew she was intelligent, but second-guessed her ideas.

One thing never strayed from his resolve, however. Sakura Haruno deserved everything. Everything he had to offer, and everything he could give, and everything she ever wanted throughout her short life on this earth.

He digs around his head for the right thing to say, for the right thing to do. But in the end, he decides that she needs to make her own choices. She was a woman, after all, and she understood her wants better than any.

Sasuke licks his lips and exhales through his nose. "Do what you want, then."

The night bugs grow louder in the stillness of her burrow. She chews at the inside of her cheek until it starts to sting. Did he think she was playing around? How could he be so blasé about her request? Sakura had allowed little boys to peck her cheek because she was the "bestest doctor" they'd ever had. It was innocent and adorable and perfectly appropriate. Is this what Sasuke saw this as—a little girl wanting to kiss an admirer?

"I mean it." She bites out. "It's not a game."

Sasuke is steady when he reaches out for her hand, though he cannot see it. She is cold, trembling with both misdirected anger and timid embarrassment. She had to do it, if she wanted it done, though. If he kissed her, he was…afraid he'd lose control.

And deep down, he knew that she would allow his every fantasy in the folds of her bed. She was too good for that.

She deserved roses and candles and all other things a woman in love should have.

They were doing everything backwards, anyways. First they sleep together in the same bed, then they have their first kiss, and then he'd take her…all in the span of a few hours? It was wrong. Even Sasuke's jaded sense of decency (that had been muted during his time Oto) knew it was true.

Sakura needed to run the show, and Sasuke knew his place. He runs his thumb along her knuckles. "I know."

Sakura moves to stand with a sudden bout of determination. She shakily removes her hand from his grip and walks over to the small lamp on her vanity, tugging at the braided chain. The hue is yellow and it doesn't show much of anything, except for the shadowy lines of her legs and her serious expression. "I'm serious, Sasuke. Like, really serious. I'll kiss you right freaking now."

The man sits up and moves to the edge of the bed. Her polka-dotted sheet bunches under the weight of his body as he leans forwards, taunting her resolve. He doesn't smirk or smile or narrow his eyes. He simply says, "Show me,"

Sakura is hyperaware of everything around her in this moment. The fine, thin hairs on the nape of her neck stood at end, sending shockwaves down the length of her spine. She gulps, because it suddenly feels like there's sand in her throat. Could she do this? Could she really, really do this?

She takes one step, and then two, following her shadow as it draws her into the space between his legs. It's like something is swallowing her whole—they were two parts of the same piece, gently drifting together where they'd always belonged.

In this proximity his breath fans her lips. It doesn't smell of carcinogen or _Sake_ —it is minty fresh as if he'd recently brushed them. Maybe he did, while she was in the shower. The thought makes her stomach bubble…because maybe he'd wanted this all along.

Sakura balls her fists, squeezes her eyes shut, and puckers her lips.

She's really going to do it.

* * *

Sasuke had been kissed once before—if it could be called that. It was more like, Naruto's mouth smashed into his mouth and he'd immediately suppressed the need to upchuck right after. He had kissed Sakura, too. On that bench when he left the village.

After that, the man never bothered with such silly, meaningless collisions.

This wasn't meaningless, however.

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered closed in anticipation. The man thinks of jumping into frigid, icy waters. The overflow of adrenalin and the freezing numbness of it all—he was prepared for such a feeling.

His lips tingle expectantly, but it's his nose that receives her petal-like kiss.

His eyelids lift and he watches as she turns from him with a shy huff. "Okay. That's that." She clears her throat. "Let's go back to bed."

In this dim room, with the sounds of a humming fan and curious night bugs pirouetting around, and Sakura tapping her foot with impatience…Sasuke smiles.

He bites his lip to cover his grin, because this whole thing is adolescent and stupid and…it's a chunk of life he'd missed out on. He hadn't had the chance to be a child, a kid with a crush, a sneaky teenager. This feeling was something he couldn't understand—he'd battled and felt less of a rush.

Sakura brushes her long bangs out of her face with a quick blow from her mouth. Her eyebrows knit together and her nose scrunches up dramatically with scorn. "Is this funny to you?"

"No," he says. It's _not_ funny that she's bringing out these odd emotions.

Her face is splotchy from discomfort and humiliation, but her eyes sparkle with accomplishment. She's proud of her little peck, and Sasuke wants to see more from her…just a little bit more.

With sure hands, Sasuke tilts her chin down to him. They've always had a way of communicating with just their eyes with their eyes, but he needs to say what he's thinking out loud. "Stop playing around if this isn't a game."

There was a warm glow in Sakura's chest as his fingertips slide from her jaw. "W-What do you mean?"

She knows exactly what he wants her to do. In this moment, oddly, Sakura berates herself for not practicing with Yuma Hojo just a little bit ago. It was only a kiss, right? Things flew around in her mind—how…exactly did you kiss someone on the mouth? Wouldn't your nose get in the way? How should you breathe, anyways?

Sasuke exhales and shifts so that her the back of his knees, and the front of hers touch the edge of the bed. They're so close now; she can feel his oven-like heat.

Timidly, Sakura places one hand on each of his shoulders, staring down at him with a brilliant fortitude. She leans, turning her head to the side as gravity forced them together and Sakura kisses him…

…for real, this time.

Her lips felt like snow, falling to the ground and melting into a soft wetness. She pressed into him, gliding her upper lip against his lower with unpracticed gentility.

It was nothing like Ino had said. Bottle rockets and firecrackers and Roman candles didn't all explode at once. Butterflies didn't furrow around the cavity of her stomach and flutter up through her throat.

Instead, a calm wave ebbed around her body. It was as if she were floating atop seafoam—drifting outwards into the vastness of a sea, pushed by a satiny breeze. A flame rose from within her core, filling her body with smoldering embers and tufts of gray smoke.

Sasuke does not kiss her back. Instead, he savors the pressure, the chasteness, the taste. When she pulls away he grips her waist, not bothering to open his eyes. "Don't stop,"

Sakura's never heard such a plea come from him. She catches his words before they can fully escape, caressing her mouth over her own. The woman gains her confidence as he pulls her body atop of him— _Just one more, just one more…_

* * *

She must have kissed him a hundred times that night. He'd drifted off into slumber from her dots—his nose, his cheeks, his eyelids, his lips. She drank everything he had to give.

Sakura smiles, because for the first time in her life she feels accomplishment that wasn't shot down just seconds after succeeding.

In the dimness of her room, where Sasuke Uchiha lay flat on his back in her too-large bed, Sakura was able to brush his fringe off of his forehead and stare at his face without almost dying, without crying, without feeling like he'd never belong to her. She let her lips linger over his forehead, his chin, and his temple.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept without dreaming of death. Sasuke didn't really know when he'd fallen into her comfort, either. Had it been minutes; hours; days?

Her body was warm as it draped atop him, like a billow of volcanic ash had buried him whole. He was secure, safe and sound, drifting along in the land of milk and honey.

He wanted this peace every night, for the rest of his life.


	27. Chapter 27: Are you sexually active?

Chapter 27: Are you sexually active?

Rain patters the window pane softly. There's a heavy chill in the air that her threadbare blanket doesn't combat against. There's movement next to her—warm, safe, dreamy. She curls into in, finding that Sasuke smells like a river. She inhales.

He's really here.

"I need to get up," Sasuke says. His voice is gruff and thick from sleep.

The blackout drapes that cover all of her windows only let a soft radiance trickle into the room. She opens her eyes slowly and sees him in all of his glory as he rises, letting her blanket fall from his covered chest. His hair is uncombed, protruding out in all directions as his fingers brush through it, trying to tame the locks.

It wasn't a dream.

Every kiss had been real.

And even better, she'd woken up next to him.

Her head is woozy from the realization as she tries to take him in fully. Sakura couldn't ever remember waking up next to Sasuke—during their missions Sasuke seemed to never really sleep much. His eyes are not puffy or heavy with exhaustion, so perhaps he'd rested well.

"It's still early…" She says, reaching out to brush his skin. The clock on her vanity said it was just seven—the sun had barely risen.

Sasuke can't look at her. His skin still buzzed from her caresses, all the way down to the tip of his—

He pulled her duvet over her head and discreetly flipped his junk into the waistband of his pants, hiding the evidence. "I've got some errands to run."

Her hand flies out and grips onto his shirt, tugging him down to her level. She hadn't even expected to see him this morning, much less press her lips to his mouth. The thought makes her shake, and she refuses to show her face.

"Can I kiss you?" Wait, did her breath smell?

There's so much to do today, starting with the three dickheads scattered around her house. Sasuke had to go to the bank, and to the hospital for a physical, and Kakashi wanted to talk to him at the Hokage tower about some bullshit "assignment". He rubs the back of his neck and thinks about her request.

Sasuke didn't regret anything about yesterday.

He had a lot of regrets in his life, sure, especially when it came to Sakura, but her actions last night had uncoiled a bundle of nerves within him that he didn't think would ever be released. Meditation only seemed to numb him, and her lips were slowly turning him into some sort of junkie.

Tentatively, Sakura pokes her head out, looking at Sasuke as he cleans his face with the inner collar of his shirt. He leans onto the bed and props himself on his elbow, opening his body position to her.

"Do what you want."

Bright emeralds upturn to meet his fully.

She's even more beautiful than the hundreds of sunsets and sunrises he's viewed during his travels. She's a frigid summer and a steaming winter and a heap of other confusing oxymoron's his head can't follow. Sakura ignites a fire his bones, setting his skeleton ablaze.

It was easier to talk to her when she was hiding from his view. His fight or flight reflexes kick in—he doesn't know whether to run or kiss back. So, he decides to do nothing once more.

She presses buttercream lips against his, brushing his mouth with a careful caress. Sakura is not so timid this time, but her movements are still gentle and unpracticed. When her bottom lip angles against his own, leaving an invisible patch of moisture, his tongue darts out to taste before she's fully pulled away.

It's sweet, and though he'd never cared for sugar or honey, he finds that he's drawn to the taste.

When she opens her eyes sharply from the feel of his tongue, she stunned to see that he's already standing and walking towards the exit. He had things to do, and places to be.

She watches him leave, quietly securing the door firmly behind him. She smiles— _he was just as shy when we almost kissed on that bench all those years ago!_

When he's out of the shower, Sasuke makes his way upstairs to drag Kiba out of bed and kick all three squatters out of Sakura's dynasty. He's surprised to see the dog-man missing, and that the room is clean and tidy. As he bounds back down the staircase, Sasuke walks into Shikamaru. The man offers hot tea and an explanation.

"Akamaru sniffed him out early this morning. Apparently Kiba's been running around on him."

"His dog?" Sasuke asks, accepting the heated brew. It's bitter and frothy, just like he likes it.

"Yeah, Kiba's been seeing uh… _fuck what's her name_ …Tamaki!" He says, snapping his finger. "Naruto said know her—Cat-Granny's granddaughter."

Sasuke did know her—she was thin, with brown hair and eyes, and like most young woman she'd had a crush on him long ago. It seemed like everyone was falling in love in Konoha, which meant a baby-boom was sure to come.

He mentally shivered at the thought of _children_. How unappealing.

"Naruto's still passed out," Shikamaru says as he walks down the hall and into the living room. "I've been trying to wake him up for the past hour."

Shikamaru doesn't mention where Sasuke slept. Being petty took too much energy, and since dating Tamari, he needed all of the stamina he could get. The Uchiha is as rested as he's ever seen him—but he's not glowing, so they probably didn't—

There's a light tap on the front door.

The two men look at each other. It wasn't either of their homes, but Sasuke was the one rooming there. That meant it was his job to greet whoever was knocking.

But, what if it was Sakura's mother or father?

His feet move consistently, one in front of the other as he nears the foyer and places a hand on the knob. Swiftly he jerks it open and Hinata's black hair twirls around as she starts to dip her head. She notices it is Sasuke, and straightens aristocratically. Hyuuga's did not bow to the Uchiha.

"Sorry to bother you so early, b-but, is Naruto here?"

Their relationship was confusing to him.

Naruto had coveted Sakura in their youth, and he'd been blatant about it, too. Either something happened between Sakura and Naruto that caused him to fall _out_ of love, or something happened between Hinata and Naruto that caused him to fall _in_ love. Sasuke didn't know much about the bashful woman in front of him.

"I can't wake him up," Shikamaru says, popping from behind Sasuke. "Maybe he needs a good morning kiss."

Hinata sidesteps Sasuke and bounds to her husband with a heated blush. She's soft, much too soft, as she gently pokes his cheek. "Naruto?"

Not a peep.

With an outbreath, she gets into her famous Hyuuga stance. Powering up her _Byakugan,_ the white-eyed princes thrusts her open-palm to the slope of Naruto's chest with a stunning and very painful smack; he wakes up with a huff.

Sasuke can only assume she's had to do this a few times.

"Mother _fucker_ ," he spewed, jackknifing from the impact. He blinks once—twice—and then turns immediately to upchuck the putrid, stomach acid-laced alcohol from last night. Hinata had been prepared, expertly grabbing a trashcan overflowing with bottles to catch the vomit.

"You didn't come home last night…"

Naruto's head throbs as his wife narrows her sight on him. She rarely got angry, but he could tell she was miffed. He told her he would be there next to her, because he knows she he can't stand sleeping alone.

Just what the hell did those guys give him? He groans.

Shikamaru senses an impending argument with his keen, male intellect. With a curt nod and an apologetic wink towards Naruto, the man makes himself scarce and leaves.

Winter is almost upon them; the air is crisp and still.

"I know, Hinata, but Kiba came over and brought some serious liquor and—"

She turns, because she doesn't care to hear his excuses. It was different when a mission or an obligation took him away from their bed. Not handling his drink? That was…was… _infuriating_.

The awkwardness is a little too much for Sasuke, so he makes his way out after Shikamaru, inhaling the outdoor smells that were _real_ and not simulated. He didn't think he'd miss the smell of breakfast and family bonding that wafted through this street.

* * *

Sakura walked down the hall, letting her freshly shortened hair dance above her shoulders as she greeted her staff. Ino met her quickly, popping out of an operating room with a bloodied robe. "Get in here and give me the dirty details, you slut."

Sakura whipped her head around, eyeing the uninterested nurses and clients that passed by. "Keep your voice down." She whispered. "I have to give physicals today, so we'll talk later!"

"That's grunt work," Ino replied, groaning. "I've got to repair this knee tendon, and you're gonna get to look at dicks all day? Just my luck…"

Her eyes roll, because Sakura knew that repairing muscles and bones was much more enjoyable than convincing ninja to get their annual shots and to turn their heads and cough.

Sakura muses over firing Ino for sexual harassment and then shakes her head at the thought. "Did you already get yours done?"

"Of course I did. Shizune gave you a onceover, too. You know, while you were…" She makes a fluttering motion with her gloved hands, like birds are haloing her head.

Sakura always monitored her own medical charts and history, but hadn't had the chance to do so yet. Just yesterday she was an un-kissed child that had just been shot through the stomach by her would-be lover. Today…well, it was different that was for sure. And probably even more eventful…

"Let's get dinner when you get off," Sakura says, calling over her shoulder. "I'm free at five and I've got a lot to tell you!"

There was an hour-long blur of nude athletics and cowering Chunin. Sakura had been instructed that all competing ninja were to be given a new round of vaccines and a physical examination. Normally her peers chose her for everything, which meant Sakura had personally seen most of her friends' private areas much more than any "friend" should.

She patted Ten-Ten's leg and removed her gloves, handing the woman a fresh Kleenex. "We're all done here, everything's in tip-top shape."

"That's it?" She asks, removing her feet from the stirrups. "That wasn't so bad."

Sakura rolls to the sink to wash her hands. She only had one more Pap smear to complete, and two more male physicals. Five O' clock couldn't come quick enough. "What, you were expecting more blood and guts?"

Ten-Ten gives an amused huff, ignoring the comment. "I saw you and wonder-boy on TV last night," She says, pulling away the cloth that covered her nude body unabashedly. "I was watching re-runs."

"We were on TV? How did I look?"

There's a knock on the door. Amu walked in with a timid delicacy, keeping her eyes downcast.

She was a nurse-in-training that Sakura adored. Not too many young women had the opportunities she had—at only 15, the mousy-haired teen had slowly clawed herself up to Sakura's trainee. Being a healer was a hard life, and Amu had certainly showed promise, that was for sure.

She bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry for intruding, Milady, but your next patient is ready."

Ten-Ten quickly dresses and follows Sakura out of the door while Amu cleans the instruments and switches them out with fresh packages.

"I'm super happy you got out of that damn test quickly, I was afraid I'd have to find a new doctor! Anyways, I hear it's a super weird exam that's going on—is that true? I can't wait until they broadcast the winners next week."

Sakura looks at the pregnancy test attached to Ten-Ten's file.

"Well, it's weird…but understandable. There are so many people that participated, you know? The first round was the strangest, I'd say. I had a good team for both, so I'm more concerned with the finale."

Sakura clears her throat and passes the file in Ten-Ten's direction. "You're not pregnant."

Ten-Ten sticks her tongue out and winks, fixing the last button on her Chinese shirt. "Of course I'm not! Keep me updated with all of this and I'll see you around, okay?" She offers Sakura a polite good-bye and runs into Hinata, who was pristine and beautiful in her civilian clothes. After they exchanged words, the reserved woman greets Sakura with a tight-lipped smile and a small wave of her hand. "Hello Miss Sakura,"

"Hinata, I'm so happy to see you!"

Sakura licks her thumb and changes the page of her clipboard. She goes behind the desk and pulls out a plastic cup, handing it to the voluptuous princess. "Pee in this and leave it on the counter, then head to that first room on the right. I'll be right in there."

The woman takes the cup with shaky hands. Sakura doesn't notice, because she's looking for her hidden file. The Hyuuga's were separated from normal civilians and ninja—just as Uchiha's….er…the Uchiha, was.

When she finds her medical history, the doctor opens the empty bathroom and takes the urine, dipping a pregnancy test into the yellow liquid just as Amu walks out of the examination room. She hands the cup to her assistant.

"Keep an eye on this for me; it should only take fifteen minutes or so."

"Yes ma'am," the girl says.

* * *

Sakura's head is spinning as she goes to her final patient. It had been a very…long afternoon. She knocks on the door and thumbs through the next file with a fuzzy mind.

The room has a familiar antiseptic scent, one that Sakura finds oddly relaxing as she slips on her gloves and tosses her clipboard on the counter. "It's just a few vaccines today and a physical; you're not really caught up, so we'll do one on each arm."

Sasuke watches Sakura prepare for the doctor. She hasn't looked up at him yet—she probably doesn't even know who it was—and she runs through a boring spiel about keeping up to date with shots and why it's important to visit the doctor regularly. Yeah, right, like he'd have time for all of that.

She pulls her hair up into a messy knot and turns, meeting his eyes for the first time.

She jumps. "S-Sasuke?"

He's not as shocked to see her. "How long will it be until the doctor comes in?"

The man is in need of a hot shower and another good-nights rest. He didn't mind seeing Sakura in her natural habitat, surrounded by needles…and gloves…and Popsicle-sticks that were supposed to be shoved down his throat. He just wasn't a fan of hospitals and it tended to make him testy.

He'd been waiting for, what, a half an hour now?

Sakura looks confused, but only briefly. There's a tap at the door and a young girl with honeyed eyes and tan skin pops in. "Here's your coat, ma'am. I…threw the other one away. I didn't think the smell would come out."

Sakura lets Amu slide the robe on for her.

"Thank you, and please keep that conversation private, okay? The whole village will go crazy with the news."

The young woman nods obediently, and when she turns her body freezes in place. She looks at Sasuke—not at his messy hair or his broad shoulders, but directly into his eyes. Not many people were bold, (or stupid) enough to do that to an Uchiha.

His eyes narrow as Sakura prepares her vials. She looks back to the assistant awkwardly, noticing that her presence was still active. A silence looms between the three, long after the doctor clears her throat.

Perhaps…Amu wanted an introduction? "I…um…Sasuke, this is Amu. She's my apprentice."

Slowly the plain-looking girl turns to her teacher. Her mouth opens and closes twice before she can pull together a sentence. "I would…like to learn how to give vaccines," The teen replies, meeting Sakura's eyes.

It was a strange request. Vaccines were almost just like any other shot. Had she not practiced on the mannequin hundreds of times? There was a huge difference between a lump of plastic and a living, breathing human though.

She obviously didn't know much about Sasuke if she thought he'd be a good pin-cushion. But her gaze is hardened and Sakura is brought back to her own determined fire, so she agrees.

"Sure, I'll call you in here after we're, if it's alright with Sasuke."

Sasuke watches Sakura lay the needles down on a piece of cloth. She approaches him once the door is closed, morphing from disciplined teacher to bashful maiden. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself, it's been a long day."

She curls a stray strand of hair around her finger. "Anyways, you look tired. I'll hurry this along."

"You're the doctor," he says almost suspiciously, like he didn't believe his words. She's a little surprised at the statement.

Sasuke had learned of her healing even before they met at Orochimaru's abandoned hideout, but he didn't think she worked as an actual…doctor. Wasn't that one of the hardest positions to gain? It certainly took more than healing jutsu.

Sakura pulls out a chart. "I'm used as a last resort for medical emergencies, so my chakra is kept untampered throughout the day." She taps on the purple diamond that stained her forehead; the one that his eyes were often drawn to. "I store what I don't use here, for a rainy day. I have plenty of time to run a hospital, and help with the work overflow. Now, go ahead and tell me about your health history and medications."

 _Run…run a hospital?_ "None," Sasuke says, and then hesitates. "I had surgery, once."

Sakura knew without knowing. His eyes hadn't always been so black, so lackluster…mostly because they weren't originally his. "Eye transplant?"

He simply nods.

"What about your diet? How often to you exercise?"

"I eat when I'm hungry. I work out regularly."

He watches her scribble down his words, switching back to a healthcare professional. As a boy, Sasuke had always been rather healthy…at least from what she remembered. He rarely ate ramen and stayed away from oily foods. In fact, his snack of choice had always been a fruit or vegetable of some sort. Maybe he was some sort of health nut…

The chair squeaks as she stands, pulling a stethoscope off of its resting place and adjusting it to her ears. She expertly checks his blood pressure with a cuff, and then pulls the plugs out to speak. "Please take off your shirt."

Sasuke didn't know why he was hesitant. He was ashamed or embarrassed—he'd never cared about such trivial things before. But thoughts of early morning suddenly bombarded his mind—the hundred doughy kisses and her little dreamy sighs. He sucks in air and tugs the cloth over his head. She doesn't seem phased in the least.

But, being a doctor was different than being a lover, and she'd save her blushes for the bedroom.

"Take a deep breath," Sakura says, placing a cold circle on his back. He obliges, forcing himself not to flinch from the contact. "Perfect and another…one more time….good. Did another nurse take your height and weight?"

"Yeah," he responds. She smiles at him, and he's relieved that she's already examined his heartrate because he's sure it's risen with that look.

She takes her seat again and reads the next round of questions. "Are you sexually active?"

Sasuke blinks. What the hell did that even mean? Like, in his entire life, or recently? "Yes."

Sakura went on down the line. "Do you have more than one sexual partner?"

He takes in oxygen, letting it in through his mouth and out through his nose, like he's smoking one of Shikamaru's minty cigarettes. "Not currently."

"What about within the past six months?"

"No."

"Are any of your sexual partners of the same sex?"

He scoffs. "No,"

"Do you use any method of protection?"

This was all a little bit too personal. What did that have to do with his health? He pulls up his tee, growing frustrated. She was writing all of this down on that little pad of hers and for some reason that makes his eyes narrow. Why was it anyone else's business what he did or didn't do?

"What's wrong?" She asks.

She doesn't seem hurt or upset. In fact, her face held comfort and understand. She was a professional after all. Sakura had seen and heard all sorts of things.

Sasuke doesn't bother with excuses, however. He's uncomfortable, and he wants to leave; that's it. He stands, heading for the door.

She speaks as he walks away. "If you don't want to talk about this, it's your every right. Just tell me. Would you…prefer someone else?"

Sasuke looks down at the linoleum. It's yellowing from years of use, from thousands of footsteps crossing the threshold. This was an old hospital, but a good one, because it didn't smell like decay and rotting flesh. But for some reason, it feels like he's lying on a table and Kabuto is above him, slicing away at his skin and injecting him with all sorts of drugs and medicines.

Sasuke's not afraid of this—but it's not comfortable, either.

Her feet tap against the floor as she makes her way to him. Hesitantly, Sakura touches his bicep. "Can I dress your arm, at least? You _have_ to take your vaccine, too, even if you don't want a physical examination. You'll have to forfeit the tournament otherwise. "

Sasuke allows her to pull up the sleeve from his forearm and re-wrap his prosthetic. She's better at it than he is, and it helps the numbness a lot. The man stares at the top of her head and at the hair gathered into an elastic band loosely.

"Doctor-patient confidentiality," her voice announces suddenly, hoping it will ease him. "I won't tell anyone anything."

She's so short that she has to turn her head completely upwards to take in his face.

Sakura falls in love with those extraordinary eyes all over again. The amethyst one is her favorite, because he keeps it hidden behind his fringe and only shows it when he meets her gaze. He lets her see things that are only for her after all—smiles, emotion, and in this moment, his _Rinnegan._

She wants to kiss him badly, but she's on the clock and that would be inappropriate. Instead, Sakura pulls out the stickers kept in her pocket for the good boys and girls that don't cry and stay for the full visit. The stamp is shiny and says, " **Good job!"** , and when she smooths it over Sasuke's wrapped wrist, she can almost _hear_ his eyes roll.

"I'll send in for Amu to give you your immunization. I'm going to be with Ino after work, by the way…so..." The normal phrase was, " _Don't wait up for me."_ But she smiles.

"So...wait up for me."

She turns from him to hide her blush and opens the door, calling in her nurses assistant. Sasuke waits for only a moment before Amu enters as Sakura exits.

This time she's not catatonic. The teenager carefully pulls a vial out of her pocket and turns the bottle upside-down before piercing the rubber stopper with a needle.

As she draws the thick liquid, she speaks. "You're Sasuke Uchiha, aren't you?"

 _Obviously_ , he wants to say. But he doesn't bother. It takes her a while to fill the syringe, so she tries a little small talk. "How long have you been back to the village?"

He drums his fingers on his knee, ignoring her question.

Amu walks to his side and rubs a prep pad against the tender flesh of his arm. She mumbles mysteriously, "Well, I know you won't be here much longer."

As soon as the toxin enters his skin, Sasuke knows he's been poisoned.

It feels as though his arm is on fire—burning from whatever she'd injected him with. It's useless, though, isn't it? Her attempted murder won't cause anything but a severe bout of nausea.

He pulls her by the scruff of her uniform so that she hovers above the ground. "You're left wide open. If you're going to try and kill someone, don't be such a dumbass about it."

He stands and drops her to the floor roughly. Unbelievably, he sways, feeling like he's in the Sage Realm drunk of _Sake_ all over again. Through blurry eyes Sasuke walks to the exit, fighting off a... thickening...from inside of him.

 _This...isn't just_ any _poison._


	28. Chapter 28: Fight off the venom

Chapter 28: Fight off the venom.

Ice cream is a strange treat to have at the end of September. A cold-front had blown in an hour ago, sending greenery from trees and villagers indoors. But Sakura couldn't resist a free dessert, so she spooned a bite of cream and a frozen strawberry into her mouth, letting her tongue spread over the sweetness. She purrs.

"You're awfully happy, forehead."

Her bliss turns to misery. "You voice has ruined it."

Ino steals her spoon, dipping it into the sundae roughly. "You're so weird—it's cold outside and you order _this_."

"Then don't eat it."

Ino mewls as she takes in the dollop. It was strangely satisfying, even in the chilly atmosphere. "Don't change the subject. What happened last night?"

"We kissed." Sakura shrugs like it's not one the greatest thing that's happened to her. They kissed—and kissed and kissed and kissed. He drifted off to her touch, and stayed by her until daylight. She kissed him this morning, too.

It was amazing, wasn't it?

She sighs— a woman is in love.

"That's it? No juicy details, no raunchy back-story….nothing?"

There wasn't really anything to tell. It was not risqué or naughty—Sakura knew she could look back and remember this moment without feeling like it was a stolen or embarrassing first kiss. It was something that she wouldn't regret, not ever.

"I wore my dad's shirt and my spandex. And I went to bed next to him and…and I tried to reach out to him but he kind of…turned away."

As Sakura speaks, her voice lowers, because for some reason it sounds…not so perfect, when she explains what happened aloud. It _was_ perfect, though! It was amazing and beautiful and everything she thought it should be. It belonged in a book or a teen magazine for other girls to dream and covet.

"I was upset." She continues. "Well, frustrated sounds like a better word. I asked Sasuke why he hated me, and then he, uh, told me that he didn't."

It wasn't pathetic, _no way_.

"I asked him if I could kiss him, and he said that I could. I meant to go for the lips—honestly, I did—but I chickened out and kissed his nose and he kind of, like, laughed at me."

It wasn't pathetic…was it?

"Sakura…" Her friend's voice is skeptical. "This isn't exactly…what I had pictured."

Her spoon clangs against the glass. The dessert isn't so sweet anymore.

"Did you, um, _actually_ kiss him? Like on the mouth?"

The Tea Rose suddenly doesn't feel like talking anymore. While confessing it aloud, her resolve had wavered. What would she say, anyways? "Yep, sure did. In fact, he fell asleep during it!" Sakura chews on the inside of her cheek, finding the same spot from last night's timid picking.

Ino groans so loudly that a few restaurant goers look her way. The dishwater blonde throws her silky ponytail over her slender shoulder habitually. "You're joking. You can't be this…"

But Sakura knows that she _is_.

Sakura was naïve to relationships—to kisses and hugs and teases and sex. She didn't know what was proper and improper; things like how to behave during or after. It was easy in a hospital setting—everything involving romance was _improper._

But that didn't negate from the fact that Sakura…Sakura had been blinded.

There was one thing that she knew from the very bottom of her heart, though. She didn't want to _force_ Sasuke to fall in love with her.

Sakura didn't want to make him jealous by having other men want her affections. It didn't feel right. Sakura wanted Sasuke to like her for who she was.

But, who exactly was she? Girl turned woman, woman turned nurse, nurse turned doctor—a book worm, a tomboy?

She heels her chin, leaning onto her elbow as rain starts to spray the window beside her. It's another rainy day—how typical. It seemed that her mood reflected the clouds above them.

Ino's heart lurches at Sakura's downcast expression. It reminded her of when the girl hid behind her bangs, shying away from the world. Ino had guided her then—when she was just a bud—and she would guide her now, into the beautiful flower she truly deserved to be.

"It's only been one night." She begins with a dismissive hand-wave.  
"Besides, you said the boys were at your house? I doubt Sasuke could mess around with you, knowing Naruto was a few feet away."

Sakura spoons another bite into her mouth as Ino continues.

"Yesterday was shit. So what? You've got a while until the next exams start…I mean; we're still technically in the middle. I'd say you still have a few months for everything to fall into place."

"So what do I do?" Sakura asks. "Do I still need to practice?"

Ino nods her head. "I'd say so—especially after, uh….that. What…did he say afterwards? What did he say when you said you wanted to kiss him?"

"He told me to "do whatever I want"."

Ino rubs her chin thoughtfully. "…and…what do you want?"

More than anything, she wanted to be with Sasuke.

She wanted bond with him in every sense of the word—the closeness of a friendship intermingled with the feel of his skin.

"I want to watch movies with him." Sakura began. She thought of theatre dates and buttery popcorn—whispers shared between the two as a film played on.

"I want to hold his hand, and I want to tell him jokes and hear his laugh—his real laugh. I want him to talk to me about things that are important to him." What were Sasuke's hobbies? How far had he traveled before he returned?

Did he have a favorite meal? "I want to cook for him every morning and night. And more than anything, I want to fall asleep next to him and wake up in his arms with morning breath and messy hair and goofy grins…I want all of it."

Ino stares at Sakura.

She's more than Sasuke deserves, that's for sure. She's kind and sensitive and her heart is full of love that Sasuke simply could not ignore. Ino had slowly started to feel that way when Sai was around—less lust and more longing.

How long had Sakura felt this way?

The woman places a few bills on the table. "Let's walk to your house."

* * *

The stroll is short, and surprisingly not as wet as she expected it to be (besides the occasional puddle). Ino has always enjoyed Sakura's neighborhood; it was clean and safe and perfect for a single woman that lived alone. Ah, wait, did that pertain to Sakura now?

They strolled past a row of dewy autumn chrysanthemums, blooming pale petals of yellow and eggshell white. There's a jingle as Sakura removes her keys, sliding the metal into the lock before stepping into her apartment. "Do you want to watch some TV?"

Sakura's words hang in the air. The room feels stuffy and thick, as if it were foreboding something ominous.

"Do you feel that?" Ino asks.

Sakura walks around her living area slowly. There's a trashcan filled with vomit and alcohol bottles, a sofa cushion is askew, and as she makes her way down the hallway she sees that someone has broken her toilet seat in half. A drunken night of stupor did not cause this miasma, though. She didn't wake up to this haze, and noticed all of this mess before leaving for work.

Something else was wrong.

"Sakura," Ino says, pointing to the staircase that led to the attic. It was down, and thrown layers of clothing left a trail straight to the top. His coat, his shoes, his kunai holster—Sasuke was here?

"C'mon, pig."

As they make their way up the creaking narrow steps, Sakura hears a shuffle, a pant. The room is dim and the air his humid unlike the wispy breeze that carried the rainy scent from outside.

She fumbles around for a lamp and once the room is illuminated, Sasuke's splayed body comes in to view. His hand is grasping the fabric of his shirt and his eyes are squeezed shut. Sasuke's trying to suck in air that could not fill his lungs.

He's asphyxiating.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura is on him in moments, morphing into paramedic mode. She's seasoned to these situations, after all. Years of following Tsunade around and months of war had taught her well.

She rolls Sasuke over on his back and checks his mouth for any obstructions. "Can you hear me? Can you speak?"

His face is whitish and his skin is like lava; his lips and fingertips are already starting to blue from lack of oxygen. Sakura runs her fingers down the inside of his wrist routinely—there's hardly any pulse.

"Pull him to the ground, Ino—CPR."

They move methodically, heaving the man roughly to the hardwood floor. His eyes open briefly from the pain that radiates through his spine and skull, but he's still unresponsive.

They are less worried about physical pain—in fact; this next step will probably leave him with a few cracked ribs. Sakura starts pumping his chest with the heel of her hand. With her elbows locked and using her bodyweight as leverage, she continues the systematic rhythm.

As she pushes, blood starts to trickle out of Sasuke's nose. It's a thick, coagulated gel that oozes down the corner of his mouth. Her mind spins as she takes in the symptoms. _Blood is gelatinous, heartrate is null, extremities losing oxygen, unconsciousness_ —Sakura knows what this is and her heart falls into her stomach.

He's been poisoned.

"Call Shizune," Sakura bites out. But it's not just any type of infection. It belonged to Sakura—her specifically made toxin that she meant to kill Sasuke with all those months ago. "It's **_my_** poison."

Ino bounds down the steps, understanding the severity of the situation and leaves Sakura to the dirty work. The woman feels for his breath by inching her cheek near his nasal cavity. His sternum is unmoving and breath does not fan her face—he's still not breathing.

Carefully Sakura tilts Sasuke's head back and lifts his chin, making a seal by pinching his nostrils. Her lips mold to his and she exhales, watching his chest rise successfully. He gasps, inhaling every bit of oxygen his body had been deprived of and his hands reach out to grab something—anything. Her shirt, her hair, her face—he squeezes it all tightly in his fists.

Sasuke's body starts back up slowly as respiration naturally expands his lungs. His fingers move and his eyebrows draw together as a painful moan escapes from the back of his throat as electricity currents throughout his body.

"Sasuke, who did this to you; can you hear me?"

Sasuke couldn't.

It was like every cell within his body was ablaze. Everything hurt, everything throbbed…are his eyes opened or closed? It's all white…blindingly white.

He could feel the Grim Reaper's bony hands digging into his flesh. He's never been this close to him, to death. If he could just stay conscious—just a little while longer—his body would fight off the venom on its own. Sasuke knew how this worked all too well, after all. This pain was familiar.

Under Orochimaru's command, Kabuto had filled his bloodstream with all sorts of toxins and modified diseases. His body forced out the contaminants naturally, but it took intense concentration.

Perhaps it was just the way his body was set up. In the deepest recesses of sleep, his brain sometimes stopped sending the correct signals. He remembered his panic as a child when he woke up with deflated lungs and blue lips. Sleep apnea—it's what his mother called it.

In his younger days, when he only saw flecks of gray and gloom, Sasuke was sure his body was trying to off itself. Itachi had kept him alive out of pity and his soul denied the shame.

Whatever the reasoning was, Sasuke could not fight if he was unconscious. Although his _Sharingan_ could see on a molecular level, his eyes weren't able comprehend what this particular poison was doing. He hadn't yet encountered _anything_ so powerful. It clotted his blood and congested his veins, like a snake's bite.

His ears ring dully now.

It reminds him of the bells on the Uchiha shrine— _ding, ding, ding._ He had never associated the sound with expiry before. It used to be calming, relaxing, like his family tolled the chimes to let him know everything was okay.

But it wasn't okay.

Sasuke wasn't ready to die.

What would Naruto write on his grave? " _Here lies Sasuke Uchiha, taken down by a teenaged girl. What a fucking dumbass, amirite?"_ And what would Sakura think about all of this?

Sakura Haruno with the freckles so light, they were practically invisible. Sakura Haruno with the big smile, the contagious laugh: affectionate, tenacious, smart, caring, ruthless. Sakura Haruno, the cherry tree blossom that loved him more than anyone else had in all of his life.

Suddenly, he doesn't just think of her, he _feels_ her.

Mint cools his lungs better than any cigarette—he can breathe again, his heart is pumping and his blood is flowing and his feet don't feel numb. Voices drift in and out: "Is Shizune here?", "Where is the antidote?", "What do you mean it's been destroyed?"

Sasuke opens his eyes and sees bubblegum pink. Too loud, too much—he closes them once more.

"He's regaining consciousness,"

"Go get some water."

He smells her, too. She's invading all of his senses—sight, hearing, touch, and smell. But not taste.

 _Taste…? Wh…what would she taste like? Cotton candy, probably…_ He shakes his head, fighting delirium.

"Why can't you use your _Delicate Illness Extraction_ technique?" Ino asks. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard.

There's a ripping noise, a fumbling of paper.

Sakura watches as Ino starts to prepare an adrenalin shot. "I'm not sure how long he's been like this, but the poison has already enmeshed in his bloodstream. I can't extract it—it's too broken up."

Ino watches as Shizune bounds up the steps once more, this time with a defibrillator. Sakura looks at her fleetingly. "I've got his heart started back up, neither of you will be necessary."

Shizune eyes her skeptically. "You're going to physically keep the poison away, then?"

Sakura presses her hands harder into his chest as a green glow seeps from her palm. It was the only thing she could do—if the arteries in his heart jam again, it would be harder to start it back up…maybe even impossible. "I have to."

The two women watch in admiration as she strains. Sakura knew how powerful her reserves were. It took three days to refill Naruto—she could sustain Sasuke for much longer. "How long will it take to make the remedy?"

Shizune pulls out Sakura's notepad. She'd found it amongst the undercover files, buried and locked away at the woman's desk. She thumbs through the pages of diagrams and formulas—plant extracts, animal venom and the like. "I thought you destroyed every trace of this after The Land of Iron incident."

She had. Every last trace was demolished…except for her notepad. The writings should have been indecipherable to everyone except Tsunade, Shizune and herself. Sakura didn't understand what was going on—who had found her secret toxin? Who was sophisticated enough to reformulate it?

She'd only prepared a few vials of stuff, anyways. It had been specially created for Sasuke as a fool-proof means of execution. One cut could down even the strongest of ninja. Her plan had failed, because Kakashi said that Sasuke was immune.

But then…but then… _Why was he dying?_

 _"_ So you're planning on doing this until he wakes up?" Ino asks. Sakura's arms are already shaking from exertion.

"I have to, Ino," The girl repeats. "I have to."

The blonde watches Sasuke gasp. Every outbreath was excruciating.

Ino would admit that there had been a time when she would have paid to see this weakness; this imperfection. Sasuke had always an impermeable fortress. He had risked the lives of many. His shudders, his _blood_ made Ino see him for the human he really was. He was a man, not a God. He was allowed his mistakes just like any other person.

Is this what Sakura knew all along? "Who could have done this?"

Sakura didn't know.

She would kill them, though.

She would find them, and kill them, and make sure they _never_ messed with Sasuke **ever again**. She was tired of the stares, of the unsubstantiated rumors. Sasuke was a _good_ man, a kind man. Anyone that thought differently was just plain _wrong._ "I'll figure it out soon enough."

"That's pretty hopeful of you," Shizune responds while folding a blanket under the Uchiha's head. His skin is fevered and sticky with sweat. "We don't know how long he's been out. His brain could have gone without oxygen for a half-hour—maybe more. He's in a vegetative state."

It _was_ hopeful, Sakura knew that. But she also knew that Sasuke just so happened to be the Deities favorite plaything. They teased him, taunted his strength, and pushed him near the edge of death…but they did not toss him over. It was a sick game.

"We need to remove his clothing and get him off of the floor." The Tea Rose barks.

It takes all three women to lift Sasuke. His bed is drenched in perspiration and jelly-like blood—not sterile conditions at all. With a silent, but knowing nod, the girls carefully inch him down the staircase and into Sakura's room.

"What do I need to bring from the hospital?" Shizune asks as they boost him onto the bed. "A feeding tube, a catheter, maybe a trach…"

Ino starts working on his shirt as Sakura re-adjusts her position on the bed. It's uncomfortable, but manageable, and it gives her full access to every part of him.

The skin on his stomach is tanned and toned. With each pant, his abdominals move and glisten as light streams from the open window. Finally, the sun had started to come out—but sadly, it was falling below the horizon.

Ino's blue eyes trail down, following the indentions and curves of Sasuke's Adonis belt. He was handsome even in suffering.

She shakes her head—she's a professional, but still a woman.

"Ino, take off his bottoms too. He needs to cool down. Shizune, do you mind getting a bowl of ice water from the kitchen and a few rags?"

As the blonde's fingers fumble with the button his on pants, Sasuke's hand shoots out. His grip is bone-crushing and painful. "Ah—"

"Stop,"

But he's not talking to her.

Behind his eyelids he remembers his first time—a boy of only thirteen with a sick ambition and an unhealthy want for power. It's been years since he thought of this moment. The room was misty with smoke and it smelled of cheap _sake_.

Sasuke feels like he's there, all over again.

The woman before him is an entertainer. Her face is painted white and her lips are smeared with red. Maybe to some she would be beautiful. But Sasuke never saw women in such a way—he had other things to worry about. To the young man, she was simply a clown.

A delicate finger draws him in. " _What can I do you for?"_ She's only twenty years his older. Her voice is sweet and her eyelashes bat when she speaks, but Sasuke is more concerned with the strange smells that roll off of her.

He knows it now—sex, fucking, sweat and lust. "Where is Orochimaru?"

Her kimono dips low on her shoulders and the outlines of her breasts come into view. She's a succubus—a vixen with a sick master…the same one that ordered Sasuke around.

" _Play with me and I'll take you to him._ "

The young man scoffs. He does not care for such indecencies. Itachi was out there, breathing the air his family had been denied for the last **five years**. She does not answer his question, so he decides she's not worth his time.

Sasuke turns to leave but her long nails dig into the skin of his upper arm, pulling him nearer. His mother, Mikoto, had told him to never handle a woman harshly. He was still just a child, untrained to the rawness of the world.

He doesn't know what to do except glare.

" _Such an ugly face for a handsome man—don't you know Orochimaru sent you here? You need to be purged of your weakness."_

Sasuke sneers. "What weakness could _you_ help me with?"

He's harsh and superior, but he was not a cold person. He had not yet fallen.

" _Don't you know, silly boy? People sacrifice your kind to the Gods: young, innocent, _**virgin** _."_

"Do you think I'm a fool?" He asks, stepping away from her vice. "My body will not be sacrificed to anyone—God or Sannin."

The geisha cackles. Maybe it seduced some—that melodic chortle that she hid behind her fan. Sasuke was not prey, though. He would not fall into her trap.

" _How can you hope to do anything when you're not even a man? You need to conquer, do you not?"_

Sasuke did not want to conquer women. He had no desire for such things. But she was a temptress—Satan dressed in silk. The hair tied in her a bun at the crown of her head is released. It cascades along with her dress, falling around her dark body like she's shedding a second skin.

She exposes herself to him completely.

" _This is first step. I will make you resistant to seduction; Kabuto will make you immune to disease and poison, and Orochimaru….he will succeed in taking control over your body if you do not gain power."_

Sasuke wanted, more than anything, to be strong. He wanted omnipotence—not just on the battlefield, but in all aspects of his life. More and more he thought of his past life—Ichiraku ramen, Fire Country's humid temperature, his friends.

He did not crave the woman in front of him, but he _did_ crave the power she offered. Sasuke wanted his outward appearance to match how he felt inside.

He was not innocent.

She's on him in moments, stealing his flesh. She confuses his mind and his body—pain and pleasure and love and lust are flip-flopped. Her nails split his skin as she tugs at his waistline. He doesn't want it, but he allows it, because he would do anything to kill Itachi.

But Itachi is dead now.

Sasuke feels a tug at his waistband.

"Stop,"

His hand reaches out, and when his eyes open he sees that it's not a white faced and red lipped woman that meets his gaze. Sakura's hair flutters around, framing her cheeks like they protected her beauty from the outside world.

"Sasuke, can you hear me?"

Her eyes are like jewels. "Yeah,"

Ino's wrist is saved from his grasp when Sakura embraces Sasuke. She's heavier than she looks, but he can handle her weight. Sakura is a safe haven. It's a familiar pressure.

He's been pulled from his nightmare by her caress. She is pleasant and sweet-smelling and innocent to her core. Innocence was not a weakness, he realizes. Especially not when it belongs to _her._

She cannot hold back her sob any longer. "How did this happen to you?"

It feels like there's a lead blanket covering his frame. He licks his lips, trying to speak, but everything hurts and his throat is too dry.

Shizune walks in with a bowl of water. She places it on the nightstand and wrings out a rag, letting Sakura dab it onto his damp forehead. Liquid runs down his face.

"Water," He croaks, and slowly he fades back into delirium.

She shakes her head. "You can have an ice chip. No water."

She did not want to risk him inhaling it. She dips her fingers into the ice and pulls out a cube, carefully popping into his mouth. The chip melts over his tongue—it's cooling and refreshing and he needs more.

Sakura is more concerned with his body temperature, however.

Ino tires again to remove his pants after another pointed look from Sakura, but he flails.

"I said **_don't_**." Sasuke's growl is menacing, though his wards are garbled.

His slurred voice leads them to believe it's not really Sasuke anymore. The man mumbles, dithering in and out of reality and nightmares. He's pale—paler than he's ever been.

Sakura looks at his scrunching eyes and clammy skin and feels the weight of the world press against her chest.

It was her poison that was killing him. If she had been successful in The Land of Iron, and attacked him while he was weak…Sasuke would have fallen. He is denying their touches, their healing, and Sakura has no idea what to do.

Sasuke needed to be respected. But he also needed help.

Her hand hovers above his chest.

Slowly, his eyes open and the mismatched irises seem to sparkle amongst the setting sun's rays. When Sasuke reaches out to her wrist, it's a much gentler touch. Slowly he presses the skin of her palm to the fevered flesh of his chest, running it down the length of his abdominals.

"You can touch me."

Heat flares to her face and the hairs at the nape of her neck stand at attention. She flickers her eyes away from him to Ino, who is watching with a stunned gape.

 _W…what?_

Sasuke's core feels empty. The mint has gone, everything hurts. He wants the waves of pain that ripple from every inch of his bones to stop already. He looks up and sees her—green eyes, pink lips, soft hair—and all he can think about is her chakra.

 _Heal me._

He holds her hand and slides it down his chest, where his heart beats weakly. It runs over his sticky middle in a way that was almost ticklish. But the pain is still there.

 _Heal me._

Sasuke shakes the appendage forcefully, wanting her luminosity, her coolness.

When he feels her pressing those radiant tips into his flesh, he throws his head back into her pillow and inhales her scent. _Fuck._

Sakura watches as he takes in her life force, greedily sucking up every ounce of energy. He bites his lip, gnashes his teeth together, and Sasuke doesn't wake up until twenty-four hours have passed.


	29. Chapter 29: She was his drug

Chapter 29: She was his drug.

"How long has he been sleeping already?" Naruto asks, taking a swig of water. He sits at the edge of Sakura's bed and looks at the unmoving man.

"Almost two days now."

October had rolled in full force, though it was only the first day. The leaves were changing slowly and the wind carried the beginnings of winter in its grasp. Rain fell from gray skies and the soil overflowed with the moisture. Two days had felt like two weeks.

Sakura sent Ino away a short time ago. Her home was too small to house everyone sufficiently, and Naruto refused to leave Sasuke's side. Said man only awoke to use the restroom (and god, that had been a mess. Thank goodness Naruto was here.)—he hadn't even eaten.

She watches her hand move from his respirations—up, down, up, down—and it's the most beautiful thing she's seen. Even though Sasuke's lips are cracked and his eyes are squeezed shut in pain, she can't help but notice his timeless elegance. The second she pulled her hand away from him, he would smooth it back down over his bellybutton or between his pectorals.

Honestly, Sakura was considering moving a little, just to feel his pressure.

"Did Shizune make an antidote yet?"

"There's no need." She replies, blinking away her exhaustion and embarrassment. "If I can keep the toxin from nearing his heart, his body will naturally do the rest. I'm letting him sleep for now, though. It doesn't look like he's able to fight it off when he's unconscious."

The curtains shake violently from a powerful breeze. She shivers and cranes her neck to rid herself of the stiffness. Fatigue consumes her. It's been fourteen hours since Sasuke's woken up to pee, and fourteen hours since Sakura's moved from her position.

The room is silent, which is unusual in the presence of Naruto. He's worried and the evidence is on his face for all to see. He knows that Sasuke is in good hands, and although it's hard seeing him so weak, Naruto understands it's only fleeting.

They were ninja, and they didn't allow themselves time to heal. Sasuke was going to rest better in his unconscious state.

Hinata comes by every so often and switches out the untouched meals. She's the most kind and caring person Sakura has ever met—she does things that wouldn't even cross the medics mind. The laundry was done and the pillows were fluffed and her house was as spotless as it's ever been. She was so motherly, so benevolent.

"You can watch some TV if you'd like." Sakura says, jerking her head to the abandoned remote on her vanity. "We can see how far along the exams are progressing."

Naruto obeys and searches through the channels emotionlessly. The announcer's voice is loud and plummy when she finally pops up on the screen, dressed in a blue pencil skirt and a purple cardigan. Upbeat music sounds off in the background as she spouts off her report.

"The first round of examinees will be wrapping up soon! There are only seven more groups of participants left, and then the next forty people will start."

"That doesn't sound like it's "wrapping up" at all, Suki!" A red-headed man replies. His hair is thinning at the top. "I don't understand why those people are even being recorded. The best have already made it through!"

Suki laughs and pats his knee. "Oh Joruri, you certainly have an attachment to the Rookie 9, don't you? Who all has made it?"

"Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki, obviously," He begins. "Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha—"

"Don't be so silly, it's Sakura _Haruno_! Uchiha's don't wed outside of their clan!"

Sakura watched as the two broadcasters bickered on, and the crowd let out a forced laugh.

"There isn't an Uchiha clan anymore. He's got to wed someone! I think there's something seriously strange going on between these two, anyways."

The camera pans to the audience where a green-haired civilian woman stands. A microphone is shoved in her face. "I don't know much about the Uchiha's." She says. "I see their symbol in parts of our village that hadn't been demolished. Like, why were they so important?"

Joruri seemed to be an expert in the subject.

"The Uchiha have a very special kekkei-genkai—the Sharingan. It's one of the strongest visual prowesses in the ninja world. Way back when, the Uchiha ran the Konoha Police Force. Tragedy tore them down and they went from many, to two."

Another audience member stands. "I've always heard of the "tragedy". What exactly happened? Do we know?"

Suki clasps her hands together in excitement. She knows they are bringing in viewers, but Sakura cannot help but think how incredibly morbid the entire thing was. More and more these days, the sanctity of television was becoming blurred. Every detail of someone's death was broadcasted, cursing became more prevalent, and no one had any respect left.

"It's been said that they were wiped out in a single night," the red-head begins, as if speaking about some dark fairytale.

Sakura pushes her hand deeper into Sasuke's chest as Naruto raises the volume. She needs to calm her rage.

"A single child slaughtered the lives of so many innocent. Men, women, children—they all fell at the hands of their brother. Itachi Uchiha was a thirteen year old ANBU captain when he defected. Some say he went insane, some say he was acting on order. The truth may never come out."

"Sasuke Uchiha defected, too, didn't he?" Suki asks, even though she already knows the answer. "It seems that thirteen is a rough year for that kind. It might be better if their clan dies out with this one."

 **What the fuck?** Hot tears pour from Sakura's face and she grinds her teeth. She does not cry in sadness or despair—she's infuriated.

Naruto stands, feeling her same wrath tenfold. "Who they hell do they think they are, the bastards!"

"Is this how people really see him?" She asks, spreading her fingers along Sasuke's bare sternum. This man had suffered more than any one should ever have to. No one deserved this.

Sasuke was serious, it was true. He judged and killed with a precise intelligence, doing whatever he could to reach his goal. Those mismatched eyes were always calculating—always watching, and he was terrifying in most situations.

But Sasuke was more than that.

Behind his guarded and competitive exterior sat a man that only wanted what he thought was best. There had been many like him—doing bad things for reasons they thought were just. His thoughts and ideas had been jaded from abuse and neglect.

Carefully, Sakura brushes a thick lock of hair from his forehead and he stirs from her touch. Her hand caresses his cheek, his jawline, the curve of his ear.

How could he be so beautiful? Sasuke reminded her of winter—fleeting, cold and breathtaking. "He's so broken, Naruto. Yet they continue to beat him while he's down."

Naruto leans back in his chair and listens as she speaks. The TV does not interest him anymore.

Sakura had a way of taking the attention of an entire room when she spoke. Her voice could be both authoritarian and harsh, when needed. But it's splintery in this moment, shattering between her pausing sobs.

"I try to help him—I really do. We kissed you know."

He didn't know.

"I thought it was perfect. It was right here, on this bed. I leaned into him and—would you believe it—I missed!" Her laugh holds no humor. "I kissed him over and over until he fell asleep."

"He cares about you," the man says. Naruto isn't sure if Sasuke even knew. If he allowed her to kiss him, then wasn't that proof enough? It was never easy for the coal-haired man. He's loved and lost, and now, maybe he's lost in love.

Sakura shakes her head. "I want to think that he does. But I…I think he feels obligated to care, either by your blackmail, or…because he has no idea how to repent for his sins. He wants people to do whatever they need to do to heal."

"Or," Naruto repeats. "Maybe he cares about you."

"There was no sign of a struggle. He _let_ someone poison him. He knew who did it and he didn't even try to fight back. Just like,"

She pauses and shuts her eyes together tightly. "…just like when I asked to kiss him."

Sasuke's finger twitches, but he is not alert. He's drifting in and out floating through trees and walking among seas.

"I'm going to kill whoever hurt him. I swear it," She says, grating her molars together.

Naruto stands to close the window. It's too chilly. "You can't take care of Sasuke and me if you're in jail."

She snarls. "That's another thing! These people have _no idea_ what Sasuke went through. He had reasons for leaving—I'm not sure I would have sided with our village either if I would have known what they did to him! This whole system is messed up. They put Sasuke in jail when he returned. They repay him, for saving literally _everyone_ , by throwing him in prison? I saw him once, Naruto. They wouldn't let me speak to him, but I saw him. He was in a straightjacket and his eyes were sealed like he'd _actually_ attack us."

Her voice cracks but Naruto doesn't pay any mind.

"How could they do that to him—to you? You were just kids. You were just kids and all you needed was love and friendship and no one ever bothered to offer it to you. It sickens me."

Sakura can't stop her tears from wetting Sasuke's exposed skin. The sheet crinkles from her pressure.

"I was just as disgusting. I hated you because it's what my mother told me to do. " _Watch out for him. Oh no, you're in his class? Don't let him touch you. He doesn't act right because he doesn't have any discipline_." What the hell did she know? Fuck her!"

Sasuke's eyes open briefly during her speech. He sees her—her face is rosy and salt trails stain her skin. It's like he's underwater—everything is blurry and sound reverberates every which way.

What is she saying?

What's wrong?

Naruto's heart throbs with sadness. He takes a seat next to Sakura and carefully tucks her pink hair behind her ear, trying his best to console her.

Naruto used to think that he must have been a very, very bad person in his past life. Maybe he had been murderer or a thief; some kind of degenerate who was destined to be cursed for all of eternity, because he couldn't understand why he was always treated so poorly. He remembers lonely nights and cold rooms and numbness—tears that wouldn't fall any longer.

It wasn't like that anymore.

In his bed, his wife lays. She is curled between the sheets that smell like him. Hinata wears _his_ shirt around _their_ house, and wakes up early every morning to make sure he eats well. And after long days, when the sun falls and the moon finds its place among the stars, he takes her—tastes everything she has to offer and devours everything she has to give. They fall asleep between huffing breathes and in gentle embraces, just like a man and a woman should.

Naruto had found his true peace in her arms.

Life was funny, the way it worked. "You didn't know better, and I don't blame you. It will all work out in the end. I know it did for me." Naruto says, and it is full of truth. There was no point in crying about the past, because the future was too bright to ignore. "Tsunade and Kakashi did what they thought was fair for everyone."

"For everyone," She replies. "Where's Sasuke in that? Why is he doomed to live a life of repentance? How is that _fair_?"

The kyuubi sucks up a deep breath and takes another swig of his water. He knows just how unkind this world could be firsthand. Bad things happened to good people and vice versa. Sasuke was neither bad, nor good. He was simply a perfectly flawed human being who leaned more towards "bad" for a while.

"Sasuke made his own decisions, Sakura. Just like Itachi did."

She stares at him. Naruto was…not a child, anymore. He was mature, and he saw the world in a different way. Slowly the man began understanding the ebbs and flows of nature—of light and dark.

"Sasuke made horrible choices. I know that he was influenced, Sakura, but in the end…his choices were his alone." He fists the cloth of his pants, as if he needed something to squeeze.

"I…would rather die than harm an innocent person. I would take my own life before I worked alongside someone as evil as Orochimaru was. Sasuke didn't. Sasuke had a plan to kill each and every person in Konoha—you, me, everyone we've ever glanced at and never spoke to. Not everyone will welcome him like we do. Not everyone has the capacity to forgive."

His shoulder is sturdy so she leans on it for support. He didn't smell like cheap ramen and river water anymore. Perhaps that scent would be nostalgic, from now on.

"Why does it hurt so much, knowing that he may never be accepted? It feels as though my heart is splitting in two, because I know that he truly doesn't deserve any of this. "

Naruto looks up at the ceiling. "He needs you now, more than ever. You just have to decide if you're willing to be with a man that can't love you like those silly novels Jiraiya wrote."

Sakura had to know that any romance with Sasuke Uchiha was bound to be full of more angst than fluff. Could she handle waking up to an empty bed, when he left her once more? Sasuke would probably never hold her hand openly or kiss her for all to see. He wouldn't declare his unfathomable love—nor would he probably even say the words. What was better; being in love _with him_ , or being in love _without him_?

To Sakura, none of that mattered.

She didn't love Sasuke for petty reasons, and it wasn't something she could simply turn off with the flick of a switch. She didn't care if she'd never get to flaunt their togetherness. And, even if he found his place in some other woman's arms, Sakura knew that, more than anything, she wanted to be there for him.

If Sasuke wanted to belong to the stars, she would be the night that cradled him. If Sasuke wanted to drift like a feather, she would be the wind that took him far, far away.

Forever and for always, she wants to remain by his side.

"I'm more than willing." Sakura feels her throat closing. "Even if Sasuke can never return these feelings, I know that my resolve will never falter. I don't care if I become an outcast. " Dropping her head onto Sasuke's chest, Sakura continues. Her voice is small but it carries in the dull drone of the room.

"I don't care if loving him kills me, or that my soul and spirit are slowly being broken, b-because…"

 _…they are his for the taking._

She does not get the chance to speak her final words.

Sasuke has awoken.

* * *

Puce forelocks stretch down the length of her face, dancing in his vision like the petals of a cherry tree. Her smile is genuine and tired as she checks his vitals professionally. Dancing her fingertips along the skin of his throat and the swell of his inner wrist, she murmurs to him. "Everything is finally normal."

She looks happy, opposing her morose words.

Nebulas of emotion twirl around his core—confusion, guilt, anger. Sasuke knew what he was and wasn't entitled to…and Sakura could never belong to him. He'd reached an epiphany, and sadly, he wanted nothing more than to leave her presence entirely.

Sakura was being dulled by Sasuke's influence, and being close to her only caused her more pain. He had always thought of Sakura as heaven, even as a young boy. She was headstrong but fragile, too innocent to belong to a world of killing and death. Sasuke belonged to that place, the underworld, and he refused to be her downfall.

He refused to clip her wings.

"I'm so happy you're alright." The woman says shyly. She wipes her cheek with the back of her hand.

Her touch is not something he can handle right now, so he tries to sit up.

"You can't move just yet. What do you need? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?"

"No," The man says. His voice is gruff and strict.

Naruto is already out of the room, leaving the two alone briefly. She adjusts the sheet, draping the cloth low on his hips so she can check the color of his skin. He feels her grab his hand and her touch his feather light as she massages blood back into the unfeeling digits. The pads of her thumb rub circles against his knuckles.

"I want a shower,"

Sakura looks into his dark eye. The other is covered behind a black fringe of hair, making him look mysterious and sensual. How did he manage to look so beautiful even when he was caked in layers of perspiration and dried blood?

Naruto reenters and climbs onto the other side of the bed with a beverage.

"Hey, fucker," He greets.

Sasuke groans as the man places a cold bottle of water to the side of his cheeks, stinging his flesh.

Sakura thumps the Kyuubi's ear. "Stop pestering him! Help him to the bathroom and bring a change of clothes with you."

Now, it's his turn to groan. "Gross, you want to me help him bathe? Am I supposed to undress him, too?"

"He's already naked." The woman says with a shrug of her shoulder.

"You say that so easily. I'm just gonna assume this isn't the first time he's been in your bed like this."

This time, it's Sasuke that does the hitting.

* * *

Sasuke drags his nails against his scalp and down the length of his chest. He washes away layers of grunge under the steaming tap, watching his skin redden under his harsh scrub. Soap runs freely, frothing from the powerful spray of water.

"What's taking you so long? Are you jerking off or something?" Naruto yells, banging on the door. Without the smallest shred of decency, the man turns the knob and makes his way into the steamy bathroom. "It's so hot in here, I can't breathe."

"Good, die." Sasuke bites out, cleaning under his fingernails.

"Big words, coming from someone who really did die," the man replies, propping himself up on the sink's counter. He swings his legs back and forth, drumming his heel against the drawers beneath.

"If you think those are big words, you're even dumber than I thought." Sasuke turns off the shower and steps out, pulling a towel off of the rack. "Why are you in here?"

"I know you heard what Sakura and I said, before you woke up. I guess we need to talk about it."

Naruto thought that, of all of the times Sasuke had to wake up, it had to be then. Maybe it wasn't his place to keep prodding between his and Sakura's… _whatever the hell they had going on_ …but Sakura was his slap in the face when it came to Hinata. He wishes she'd have done it, sooner.

Now it's his turn to slap Sasuke.

"There's nothing to talk about." He says with a sigh.

"Then listen."

Sasuke shrugs on his shirt and walks out of the room and into the foyer. He walks past Sakura briskly, tugging on his abandoned boots in the foyer before his feet have even had a chance to dry properly. "Whatever,"

Sakura watches their exchange with hesitance. What was going on? "Sasuke, you're too weak to leave just yet. Why don't you rest a bit more?"

He completely ignores her and pulls on his cloak. Naruto, sensing the imminent battle, pulls on his own shoes before calmly walking out of the front door.

He cannot hear if they are speaking or arguing, and he hopes it's the former. Sasuke was always really good at keeping his emotions under control. But that also meant he was prone to snapping, and snapping out at Sakura would end up biting him in the ass.

People walk by and greet him politely as he fiddles with her wreath, picking away at loose trinkets.

Sakura gnaws her lip as Sasuke buttons his jacket. It was much too cold, and much too early for him to start moving around. "Where are you going?"

"Food," He says curtly. His hand reaches for the doorknob but Sakura places hers over it, halting his escape.

Her voice is thin, but not sad or brittle. Sakura may not understand all of Sasuke's feelings, but trepidation and annoyance were his most prevalent emotions and she'd seen them enough to recognize the apprehension.

"You're mad at me,"

It's not a question.

Sasuke looks down at her. Her soft, dancing eyelashes and kaleidoscope irises peer from behind a curtain of fairy-floss pink. Her lip was vacillating between her upper and lower teeth, tempting him with the plumpness.

He wasn't mad at her—he was mad at himself. Sasuke was going to leave, regardless of what transpired between them, and that would leave an even bigger hole in her already wounded heart. Sasuke was distraught.

Was he leading her on by letting his barriers fall? Nothing she did could make him stay—love, sex, lust—because it was his duty as a ninja to follow through with this mission. And honestly, Sasuke couldn't stand staying in this place longer than necessary.

"I'm not," He finally says.

The woman presses herself into Sasuke until the wooden door halts any further movements. She looks up at him, reflecting his own imagine within.

Her words rang painfully in his ears. _I don't care if loving him kills me._

Well, Sakura may _not_ care—but Sasuke certainly did.

She cradled his face within her hands. At first, he jerks his head away, but when her fingertips flutter across his jaw he has no choice but to meet her gaze fully. "What have I done?"

 _Nothing_ , he wants to say. She was perfect in every way, undeserving of the curse of the Uchiha. He could not be the man that held her every night, and declared his love to the world. In fact, Sasuke didn't think he could ever come to terms with his own feelings—what was this, anyways?

Could he call it love, truly, or was it a warped sense of lust that stemmed from what he knew of their younger innocence? Maybe he did not want to take her like he'd been taken.

And Sakura feels his turmoil. She's losing him before he was even hers.

She's desperate—more than anything she wishes Cy-Lan could share his thoughts with her. It was so much easier to understand him when his barriers were down. She wants him to tell her that everything is alright, but Sasuke was not one for flowery words.

Sakura knows that Sasuke was looking for redemption. He would do almost anything to get others to forgive him. She knew that Sasuke would not deny her his lips, and she feels manipulative by wanting to ask. Sakura was weak, though. With the smallest whisper she asks, "Can I kiss you?"

And she knows her question is wrong, but she cannot help it. She wants to feel him—she wants to pretend everything was okay. She suppresses the guilt.

Sasuke automatically answers. "Do whatever you want."

So she does.

She stretches out on her tiptoes but she's still too short to touch his mouth. Dipping his head low he allows her to press against his mouth and linger. So sweet, so gentle—he could take her right there.

Her lips move against his and timidly her tongue darts out, tasting his flesh. She was a drug, but he was strong willed. He pulls away from her body and exits her apartment, fading into the evening.


	30. Chapter 30: You're going to be a father

Chapter 30: You're going to be a father.

Sakura ran. The air was cold but her sweatpants moderated the temperature. Her lungs burned and her eyes watered as she trudged up the hill, embracing her runners high. Each footstep led her closer to the training grounds.

She needed a release.

Her clothes stick to her body as she practices with her axe. It's heavy and awkward, but her body is slowly getting used to the pulls and tugs. Her swings were surer and her accuracy improved, but Sakura can't help but berate herself for not being able to properly wield it.

She plants the blade into the soil and rotates around the shaft, kicking her legs out to deter nonexistent enimies. Over and over she swipes her weapon, scarring trees and upturning roots.

Her head is reeling, her heart is racing, and her mind is on high alert.

Something was really, really wrong...

* * *

"So what the hell is your problem?" Naruto asks as he slurps up a swollen row of noodles. It's his fourth round.

Sasuke matches his speed, taking a deep sip of his broth. It's scalding, but he savors the heat. It fills his empty stomach well and slides over his tonsils like a warm blanket.

"I need your help," He begins after another swig. "With Sakura."

Naruto chokes.

Never in all of his life has he spit out his food.

He enjoyed many bowls of ramen—salt ramen, soy ramen, miso ramen, pork ramen—from the cheapest brews to the most expensive, he loved them all. But suddenly…the pork tasted off, and the noodles were too mushy, and it burned his tongue.

"What…?" He sputtered. Sasuke _never_ needed his help, after all…unless it was life or death. And he would never ask anyone for advice about a _woman_.

But Sasuke had no idea who to turn to. Kakashi had been a father figure for him in his youth, but it didn't feel right asking _that guy_ for anything. It had been bad enough that the man felt obligated to explain a woman's reproductive system to him.

There was no one left to turn to.

"You need to…" Sasuke brushes his knuckles against his mouth. He still felt Sakura there, like her smile was pressing into his frown. "…protect her, when I'm gone."

Naruto pushes his meal away. Something heavy was weighing on his mind.

A mother and a child walk by just as an October shower starts to fall. Her belly is round with an overfilled womb; she cradles it and thumbs through her purse. "Go stand by Lord Naruto! Maybe we can sneak a photo."

Naruto overhears and scratches the back of his head dazedly. "You don't have to steal one." He smiles. "Let's take it together!"

Naruto had intended on standing up, but the little boy hops into the Kyuubi's lap so quickly that he doesn't have a chance to move. The kid is blue eyed, and for some reason, the man cannot look away.

The photo flashes.

"Hey, idiot,"

There aren't any whiskers on his cheeks. The boys' skin is too tan and his nose is big and his lips are thin—so why does Naruto look for own offspring's features in those ocean eyes?

Sasuke grips his shoulder and helps the child down. He runs off to his mother, unnoticing of the sudden change in Naruto's demeanor. "What's up with you?"

Naruto shakes his head, watching the two—or was it three?—walk through the droplets. "Ah, nothing, sorry. What were you saying? I'm supposed to protect Sakura?"

Sasuke takes his seat again and carefully counts out his ryo as he speaks. "I'm going to be leaving after these exams."

Naruto pulls out a wad of cash and throws it out the counter. "Of course you are,"

Sasuke ignores him. "Sakura's going to be all alone."

"Then don't leave, dumbass."

The Uchiha throws his head back and sighs. He leans into the wall of the restaurant and watches as civilians and ninja alike walk by. It's almost nine at night, and the smell of rain falling from the stars makes his head feel fuzzy. It's almost as if the dampening soil sends out the scent of his ancestors—the paths they used to walk still linger. "I can't stay here."

"In Konoha, you mean?"

Screams echo in his mind—screams he's thankfully never heard in real life. The blood of his clan has soaked into the bones of this village. Sasuke cannot tread these streets without thinking of them—his aunts and uncles, the children that were younger than he was…the infants he'd once held that were all slaughtered in less than an hour.

Uchiwa insignias were still plastered to some of the buildings that survived Pein's assault. Every once in a while, when Sasuke is in his deep nightmares, he dreams that Konoha has been completely demolished. Maybe, if it were true, it would make him feel better about being here. He would not have to pass through ghosts anymore.

"This place is your home, Sasuke."

He stares wholly into Naruto's face.

Home is not a warm bed and a familiar toothbrush and a roof over your head. These rocks and dirt and shiny buildings meant nothing to him. "This is _not_ my home. It's simply where I was raised. I will protect it, because you and Sakura are here, but nothing more."

The men stand simultaneously and walk along the cobblestone. It's not sprinkling hard enough to bother with an umbrella. "You shouldn't rely on others to protect what's dear to you,"

Sasuke clenches his fist as a twig breaks from under his boot. He takes a few steps before replying, trying to hold back his tone. "I'm not relying on others. I'm relying on you."

"What brought this on? Your near death experiences made you worry about who'd care for her?"

His muscles and joints still ache from the coma, but he is a ninja; dying is just a part of his job. His deep sleep did not make him think of his absence—it was Sakura's words that brought these thoughts. His presence hurts her more than his absence, and he refused to leave her lonely again.

Sasuke couldn't trust just _anyone_ to keep her safe. Naruto had failed during the first round of the exams, and Sasuke had failed, too. He couldn't even rely on himself. "She said that I was killing her."

Naruto's eyebrows furrow. "That's taken out of context."

"What context can make that phrase any better?"

The Kyuubi didn't think bringing up the announcers harsh words would sway Sasuke. It would probably just enrage him. The man stops and looks up at the navy blue sky, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Yellow suns glittered across the surface, swelling in the darkness of a new moon.

"I'll have other obligations." Naruto finally says. He doesn't mean to sound harsh, but there's no other way around it. Sasuke didn't like embellished words, right? Why should he bother softening the blow? "Take care of her yourself, or not at all."

The Uchiha stops. Even he would admit that his anger got the best of him at times, but he could tell when he was being provoked. "What other obligations? Sakura's our teammate. Don't turn into the scum I once was."

The wind carries the scent of the rain that wet his shirt. He loves the smell. Naruto thinks of camping out on school nights in the depths of the forest under the blue canopy of nightfall. He thinks of freshly roasted fish and mushroom soup and falling from the mountain tops into dense foliage.

Soon snow would fall, and soon spring would bloom, and then next summer Hinata would give birth to their first child.

"I'm going to be a father."

Time stands still—the leaves no longer move and the sprinkle of rain pauses in midair.

Sasuke had been stabbed before. A few times, really. When the blade sliced your flesh and your organs, the inside of your body would plunge into shock from the sudden force.

It felt like this now.

Suddenly he couldn't breathe—he couldn't tell up from down and left from right. In the middle of the puddle-ridden road, Sasuke Uchiha sits down to keep himself from tipping over.

He lets his legs splay out on either side of him nervously. He crosses them, spreads them out once more, and then reaches for the tips of his toes as his knees bend. His face did not show the emotion he felt within. Sasuke decided to let his words express.

" _Fuck_ ,"

Naruto squats down next to him, unsure of his reaction.

Hinata had told him only the day before. She'd stopped serving freshly cooked fish; she refused the alcohol he offered. All the while, Naruto was wondering what in the hell he'd done wrong.

When he'd found the balls to ask her what her problem was, she pulled out a pair of yellow socks from their bedroom drawer.

Naruto stared at them, and the tiny white bows that lined the hem. With a furrowed brow he thought, _those won't fit her. Did I shrink them in the wash or something?_

Hinata was as patient as she was kind, and she took his panicked embrace with a lighthearted laugh.

Naruto Uzumaki was going to be dad.

…and Sasuke Uchiha was scared shitless.

The man rubs his face with both hands and covers his mouth with the collar of his shirt. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,"

"Jesus Christ, calm down." Naruto says, rolling his eyes.

Sasuke's head felt light—there was so much to worry about, so much to be done. What were they going to do about money?

 _No, wait; Hinata's family had a lot of cash._

 _Naruto has a good income now, too._

 _But babies—holy shit—babies are so…expensive…there's so much you have to buy._

He opens his mouth and lets his words tumble out.

"You've got to buy clothes, like, a lot of clothes. And bedding, a crib, bibs and bottles and diapers and—"

The Kyuubi's eyebrows jerk upwards. "I know that."

"You've got to get onesies and sleepsuits and socks and pants and shirts and—"

"Sasuke, chill,"

"Will it be a boy or a girl? What are you going to name it? It has to be a strong name—one it can grow into. Name them after Neji—he was strong. He was a good man."

"She's only a couple of weeks along. Right now it's a jelly bean." Naruto explained. He sits down beside Sasuke.

There aren't many people out, but every so often a civilian has to walk around the two. They spare second glances and curious inquiries, but Naruto is too preoccupied with Sasuke's strange demeanor. The man wrings his hands into the fabric of his shirt over and over—the cloth wrinkles from his grip.

Sasuke remembers when his cousin had given birth. Mikoto had brought her youngest along, because Itachi was never around and Fugaku didn't much care for babies—or teenage mothers.

He remembers the fat cheeks and the purple skin and the fine coating of hair the infant had—lanugo is what the nurse had called it. When it was Sasuke's turn to hold the baby, he had flat out refused.

" _She's your family,_ " his mother had said. " _If you don't hold her, it will bring her bad luck!_ "

Sasuke hated himself for a long time after that. As an eight-year-old, it was one of the first things that had popped into his mind. _If I had just held her,_ He thought, _maybe she wouldn't have died._

Sasuke was terrified. How could Naruto be so brave, so strong? Sasuke did not want children—he couldn't even protect Sakura properly. If he had a child there would be no way he could— _no_ …

There's no point in surmising, anyways. "You're going to be a Papa."

Naruto laughs genuinely. "Yeah, I guess I am."

The Kyuubi extends his legs out, making a trail in the freshly muddied road. "For the first time in my life, I can't put someone else's wishes first, Sasuke. I have to do what _I_ want to do. If something happens, I'm going to be with my wife and child. They…they're my…everything."

Sasuke understood. He wouldn't ask him to do anything different. If Naruto would not be able to take care of Sakura in his absence, he would simply have to find someone that could. Sakura would have to fall in love…

…with a good man, and Sasuke wasn't a good man.

* * *

It is late when Sasuke comes back.

Sakura had been restless. She was tired from training and her mind was wild, but the blare of her television kept sad thoughts at bay.

She pulls at the wrappings around her chest as she flitters though the stations, trying to find something interesting enough to delve into. She's still wearing her baggy sweatpants, letting her finger wrap and rewrap around the drawstring. When the door opens, the woman expertly drapes her woven afghan around her narrow shoulders, covering her partially bare torso with haste.

He really, really came back.

Sasuke shrugs off his cloak and sets it on the rack, meeting her gaze as he steps into her home. His head is just as weak as his body in this moment. "Can I get something to drink?"

Sakura hops up and makes her way to the kitchen, ready to serve him though he didn't ask. "What would you like: tea, coffee, juice, or water? I have a few sodas and I think there's some beer—"

"Just water," Sasuke sits at the table as she scoops ice into a glass. He folds his hands under his chin, preparing to deliver the news. "Naruto's pregnant."

The phrase sends Sakura into a fit of giggles.

They start out slow, but by the time his beverage is in front of him she's in an all-out fit. Her cheeks are red and there are small cuts all over her face and neck, like she had pulverized earth sometime earlier. Sakura could laugh at anything, even in the direst of situations.

Sasuke narrows his eyes. "I'm serious. He's two weeks along."

"Stop," she says, leaning against the counter. "Naruto's not pregnant—Hinata is."

"You knew?" This intrigues him.

The woman smiles meaningfully.

Sakura was worried that Sasuke would be mad at her when he came back. He looked tired and stressed out—but his mood was mellow and, for that, she was thankful. Had she truly been worried over nothing? "I'm the one that told her. I did her examination the other day."

"Ah,"

Her home is warm. It smelled like sea-salted caramel and for some reason this relaxes Sasuke. He wants nothing more than to spread out on her mattress and fall asleep beside her warmth. But there is a silence that intermingles with the sweet-scented air. So much is between them—so many unanswered questions that wouldn't be spoken aloud. He's too tense to sleep.

Sakura makes her way to him and brushes his hair out of his eye, successfully exposing amaranthine. She loves to see him like this—uninhibited and exposed, but he does not like it. Not now, at least.

He pulls away.

The clock in her living room chimes. It is midnight. Her heart sinks down into her stomach, because it seemed that he was still denying her progressions. "You're mad at me."

He waits until it finishes its bellow before he speaks. "No,"

"Mad" was too weak of an emotion. What was the word you used when you were upset that someone wanted you, even though you only brought them strife? What was the word you used when…when you wanted them, too?

Sasuke wanted her to be safe. He wanted her to be happy and carefree and he wanted her to have everything she coveted—a nice home, her dream job—would she want children, too?

These were things Sasuke could not give her. He was still unsure of his feelings for her. He thought of her as a comrade, a friend, and he'd never been attracted to any of his friends before. (Naruto. Naruto was his only other friend. No way in _fucking_ hell would he—)

Sasuke did not know if this was just lust, intermingled with familiarity, or if it was…

Ah…if it was something…more.

"If you're not mad at me, then let me kiss you."

He likes her boldness.

Sakura did what he told her to do and she was normally mindful of her touches and embraces. But as his bond grew stronger, he found that her tameness and questions became…annoying. If she wanted to kiss him, she should just do it.

He would never deny her.

Sasuke looks at her and takes another swig of his water. He wished it was alcohol. He wished it made him feel like he did in the Sage realm—wistful and carefree and like he could vomit out everything he'd ever consumed in his entire life.

It is not alcohol, though, and it was empty.

He stands and deposits the cup into the sink next to Sakura. His resolve was chipping away. Sasuke knew that he had to quickly determine whether he wanted just her body, or if her soul was involved as well.

Not that it would change anything.

"Do what you want to me." He says.

She turns Sasuke towards her and presses her velour lips to his. It's hesitant and anxious, full of butterflies and nervousness and it sends a jolt to his middle. With her pressed into him like this, he thought that Sakura was a bright blaze and he was melting iron, forming into whatever shape she deemed fit.

She moves against him—this kiss is not short like the other ones are. It's desperate—yearning. She wants more.

Her chartreuse eyes are wet when she pulls away.

"Why don't you ever kiss me back?"

Ino had told her why, hadn't she? Was Sakura really just an inexperienced child in his eyes? She doesn't want to learn from anyone else, though. No one could make her feel this way—so hopeless, so impassioned.

She wants _him_ , and only him, in every sense of the word.

…starting here.

Sakura steps away and releases her grip on the crocheted quilt. Her breasts are swathed but her shoulders and stomach are bare, showing off the smooth shape of her arms and the fleshy pudge of skin just below her bellybutton. Her bottoms are two sizes too big—they ride low on her wide, feminine hips, teasing him with the lines of her core.

In the moonlight, she's absolutely stunning.

"I'm a woman, Sasuke. I really am."

He'd told her before, hadn't he? "You are,"

He cannot look away from the cream of her skin. The peach undertones leave a glow from the swoop of her clavicle to the soft plunge of her lower abdominals, hiding her most private of areas. Chakra throbs behind his irises. He wants to take her in completely.

"Am I not attractive to you?"

Sasuke wets his lips and closes his eyes. His _Sharingan_ had activated against his will. He's losing his control. "You have no idea."

Sakura wipes her cheek, removing the dampness that had trailed down. If he really thought that, then what was the hold up? "Why won't you touch me? Why won't you kiss me?"

There was no "big" reason for any of it. Sasuke had simply never been asked. He needed…permission, of sorts…something to fall back on if things got too heated. "You didn't say I could."

She takes a deep breath and hides a sob behind her hand.

That's all it took? A simple plea; an allowance to let his hands wander across every valley her skin had to offer? She fills her lungs with a determined resolution.

"S-Sasuke," Sakura mumbles, trying to find some composure. "I want you to kiss me."

His eyes open like a thunderclap and the atmosphere stills around them.

 ** _He is predator and she, his prey._**

Her body is slammed into the counter as Sasuke hoists her up, knocking over clean dishes and stray papers and whatever else stood in his way. His mouth is on hers like a wildfire—a smoldering, blistering heat forms from just below her belly, so hot it feels like her blood is evaporating.

Sakura had…never felt anything like this.

Each movement was more than she could handle. His teeth bite at her lower lip and she opens to him timidly. She tastes everything—his icy water and the metallic bitterness from their rough collision and _lust_.

This is much better than his transferred thoughts.

Something comes out of her mouth—it's a sound she's never made before. Somewhere, mixed in with her mewls, his name escapes. "Sa-Sasuke," and it is chocked back as he follows the curve of her jaw. His tongue is burning her, leaving a trail of lava in its wake.

"S…"

Lower he goes, nipping at the tender skin above her throbbing jugular. Sasuke can feel her heartbeat as he bruises her skin—strong, steady, and impassioned. Her capillaries burst in response to his fangs, inflaming into small, pink welts.

"Sto…"

The man leaves a path of raspberry stains. He marks her skin—not because he owns her, or because he wants others to know where he's been, but because he's never tasted anything quite like her flesh and he can't get enough. He lets his thumb slide under the wrappings of her bra and her hands are on his shoulders just as quickly, pushing him away.

"Stop,"

His movements are immediate.

He wrenches from her and raises his hands in front of him, like he was a thief caught red-handed. In the moonlight, she pants and runs her fingers over the discolorations riddled along her from jaw to collarbone. They sting.

Her skin looks silver and her face is mauve and her lips are red and swollen because of his force. She's even more beautiful now, in this moment, because she was a delicacy he could not have. She did not want to take things this far, and he understand. It was alright. He could handle it.

After all, Sakura was going to be a wonderful wife with a towering abode and the job of her dreams. She would bear a new generation of pink-haired, green eyed powerhouses.

But, in the grey beams of starshine, the dusty rose goes against all of his "understandings". She looks down at the puffs of her chest and carefully loosens the ties.

"I'll take them off for you."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I want to extend my gratitude to everyone that has made it this far. I understand we all have different views when it comes to things, and perhaps I'm a bit cynical with this story, (and SasuSaku in general). I just want to reiterate that this is the in-between.**

 **Sasuke went from innocent boy, to hapless orphan preteen, to evil vilian teen, to THIS confused, hurt young man, and then I'll bring it towards canon-a happy father that will do anything to protect those he loves!**

 **I am writing about the in-between. The sadness and hurt in this world of killing and death. (mostly because it's what I relate to the best. No one is bad for no reason. No one falls in love so easily.) Of course some of the scenes are exaggerated, but I wanted to tear Sasuke and Sakura down to their bare bones...that way, when they do enter a relationship, there wont be anything holding them back. I do believe in happy endings, I promise you. (:**

 **Thank you for every encouraging comment. Thank you for the flames, thank you for trying to trip me up and forcing me to question my logic, thank you for telling me how much you love my story (or hate it), thank you, thank you, thank you.**

 **But mostly, I want to thank everyone that sends me encouraging comments-they send me to tears. I don't mind that you say, "Please update soon!" because it makes me melt, and try my hardest! As soon as an alert pops up on my phone, I'm reading your reviews, and thinking of you while I type! Let's end this together. Bless you guys, and hang on for the ride!**


	31. Chapter 31: Touch me

**Um, here's my warning!**

 **This fanfiction has an "M" rating for a reason: Lime**

 **If that's not your thing, go to the bottom section of the chapter under the "horizontal line" break!**

 **Enjoy-a lovely anonymous reviewer asked me to post this early for them.**

 **Love you guys. (:**

* * *

Chapter 31: Touch me.

The wood of the hallway groans from her padding feet. Sakura's steps are light and sure, even though her mind is _heavy_ and _uncertain_. She leads Sasuke Uchiha by the hand into the confines of her bedroom, and this time he does not chide her for tugging.

Sakura has never done anything like this before. Only women and the occasional family member have seen her nude, and it's not like she had the best confidence in the world.

The mirror was unkind to her—it showed the dimples on her legs and her unnaturally thick thighs and her nose—god, her nose—why was it so small? She's embarrassed of the stretch marks that stripe the bends of her limbs and her untoned, but flat, stomach.

But Sasuke, strangely, is _not_ uncertain. (He was the type that battled his inner dialog, after all.)

He sits on the edge of her bed releases her hand, so he can hold those wide hips that she hated so much. Her covered breasts parallel his face, but he does not look at them. He looks at her darting eyes and her tongue as it slides over the split on her mouth—the one that _he_ put there from his urgency.

"Tell me what you want me to do." He says.

It has to be her idea—her thoughts. Sasuke knows that he was weak enough to deflower her here and now, if she'd let him.

"Kiss me," She says.

He starts at her navel, sprinkling pecks in a slow, tantalizing circle. He trails upwards, over Sakura's lower ribcage and finally to the white cloth that hid her mounds. She's shy, he can tell, so he does not try to uncover her fully.

With steady hands, Sasuke glides his palm over her bust. For a fleeting moment, he wonders if he's done something wrong because she flinches from the caress. Her face shows passion, though.

Maybe she's just…overly sensitive. That described her well.

He massages the flesh slowly until her tips protrude. Brushing his thumb against the bud, the man speaks gruffly against her skin. "Tell me what you want, Sakura."

"T-Touch me," She whispers breathlessly.

For the first time, Sakura doesn't feel like a child. She doesn't feel like her words and actions are carried off with the wind. As his mouth glides against her midsection, Sakura thinks of all of the times her naivety outshined her true skill, her true feelings.

Sakura was a virgin, but not in the sweet sense of the word. She was not some pure, dainty thing that batted of men's affections so she could wait until properly wed—until it was done right.

No, Sakura was not as innocent as everyone perceived her to be.

Time in time again, she thinks of what she and Sasuke would have been if he'd have stayed. She thinks of giving herself to him on a mission, perhaps—maybe even sneaking off so Kakashi and Naruto wouldn't be able to hear their muffled screams.

She is only untouched because _other things_ had preoccupied her—much more that the want for a man's flesh. (Ya know, the whole, "Sasuke Uchiha has joined Orochimaru and wants to kill his brother and maybe everyone", thing.)

Sakura wanted to be strong. She wanted to bring Sasuke back with her own two hands, bleeding and bruised and on the edge of living.

His index finger slides between the pleats of her bra.

Sakura takes in this moment, because Sasuke was seeing her for who she really was—a woman, and a strong one at that. And he had come back, finally, after all this time.

He teases her beneath the cloth, brushing the hardened skin as delicately as possible. The man moves the material aside to expose her areola fully, and when they are visible to the air, they pucker. His head presses into her diaphragm and the ends of his hair feather against her nipple. She winces once more.

"Do I need to slow down?"

"No," Sakura replies nervously. It all feels like a dream.

Sasuke's lips skim across the slope of her humble knolls, fleshy and yearning for his touch. He's waiting for her to speak, because he likes the sound of her voice—she's unprotected and wide-open.

"Please, Sasuke…"

Sasuke takes the pebble into his mouth. His tongue lays flat against the gem as he tastes, only pulling away momentarily to blow his hot air across. She throws her head back, savoring the unfamiliar touch.

The jar in her core twirls a single marble around and around and around…

 _Something is happening._

"Lay down," Sasuke says, letting his thirst taking over. His voice is impatient now and, almost immediately, his contact is no longer compassionate.

When Sakura is fully on her back, the man wraps his hands around her wrists and smashes them roughly into her headboard—a warning, of sorts. "Keep them up here."

Sakura's heart is hammering into her chest as she holds her position. He slides low, working himself down waistband of her pants, over the protrusion of her ribs and the concavity of her stomach.

Each kiss leaves a fevered trail of magma, incinerating her flesh from both the outside and at her aching midpoint. When his teeth scrape against her supersensitive hipbone, Sakura's hand tries to entangle into his locks.

He catches it, looking up at her with piercing eyes. "Don't touch me."

Sakura knew this, of course.

She knew that Sasuke had a dark past, riddled with torture and hate and, perhaps even abuse—though he purposely put himself through it, (if that was even possible). If this was what Sasuke had become, then she would just have to react accordingly.

He was primal, in this moment, which forces Sakura to qualm her dominant nature.

Sasuke wraps his mouth around her nipple again and she can't stand the pleasure. Her head presses deep into the pillow and another noise bounces off of her tongue—she doesn't even understand where it's coming from.

Sasuke is relentless as he tugs, pulling at her tip painfully.

Her fists clench.

Sakura can't touch him.

But…that doesn't mean she'll give up so easily.

She wraps her legs around his middle and engulfs him between her knees. It's a bold move, but her body is reactive and she understands the want for such a position when she feels his own pleasure beneath the layers of his pants, pressing tightly into the fabric.

In a way, this was like a battle.

Sasuke feels the warmth between her legs and tries to reposition himself, as if he didn't want her to know she had such an effect on him. The woman locks him between her thighs and slides up the length.

They both respond to this—Sasuke is stunned by her boldness, and Sakura's head tries to process the response.

The marble in her jar rebounds off of the glass walls quickly—dizzyingly.

 _What is this?_

 _More, more, moremoremoremoremore…._

Something churned within her.

It throbbed, it ebbed—it wanted to break _free_.

Sasuke pushes her back into the mattress and his mouth closes around her jugular. He grinds in reply, moving her hips for her into his friction. His authority was stratospheric, his grip was powerful, and his cock was hitting this one…tiny…spot, hungrily between dry thrusts.

Sakura cannot hold back any longer.

The walls of her inner glass jar crack from the pressure and the marble shatters—every muscle in her body tightens with anticipation that lasts only a half-second.

Sakura's toes curl, her lips part and with a addicting squeal she coils around him and locks her ankles together. Sasuke hears his name escape her mouth, over and over, as if it's the only word she knew. She grips his dark locks powerfully and before he can reprimand her, he feels her private pulsate on him.

She shakes, quivering from her release.

Everything stops in this moment and Sasuke tries to comprehend. He pulls away and hovers above her form as guilt rakes through his body, digging at his morality as he looks at her.

Her breasts are jutting between the creases of her top. Her eyes are squeezed shut, leaking tears of pain or pleasure or sadness—he did not know. He watches her chest rise and fall as she dithers from her high.

Sasuke cannot stop the powerful feeling of remorse that gathers within him.

 _What the hell am I doing?_

It was supposed to be perfect; candles and flowers and an ivory gown, all that other shit good girls and boys dreamed of.

They weren't even dating and he'd…

…he'd almost…

Sasuke's eyebrows furrow and he moves, leaning into the blue polka-dot sheets of her bed.

"Sasuke?" She asks. Her voice is thick with sex.

He chances another glance and he wishes he wouldn't have. She's too perfect for him. His heart hammers in his chest, fighting off the adrenalin that swarmed his veins. Sakura had peaked just from her miniscule taste of friction. Looking deep into her crystalline eyes, hidden behind heavy lashes and a layer of saline tears from ecstasy, he crumbles.

This just reiterated his point, after all. A woman like her didn't belong in his gravitational pull.

Sakura pants and tries to gather her breath. She didn't expect him want to leave so soon—didn't he want to…?

Her face is redder than he'd ever seen it before. He moves to stand, adjusting his erection carefully through the material of his pants. Sasuke runs his fingers across his scalp—it's tender from her tug.

He can't think in this room that smells like intermingled breathes and the sweat that coated their skin—he needed fresh air.

He looks at her and opens his mouth before he can think of an excuse. An " _I'm sorry,"_ or an " _It was a mistake._ "

She didn't deserve any of this…this…desire.

Her fatigued movements draw him in as her arms leisurely slide up the length of the cobalt duvet. She crosses her wrists above her head and firmly presses them into the ebony backboard, making a thump similar to his previous pressure.

Her smile lights up the room; it was the kind that could only appear on a woman in pleasure.

"I won't move my hands again, Sasuke."

His head spins.

"I feel like I'm gonna die…but I can handle it. I can endure." Sakura mutters nervously. She pants, letting air slip from between petal-like lips.

 _Goddamn._ Sasuke shakes his head. "Sakura, you don't have to do this."

Sakura can't help but notice the regret in his voice.

But right now…

…

She feels bold.

She feels strong and sensual and as she falls from her high, and Sakura will be **damned** if Sasuke ruined yet  another moment for them.

No more of this _bullshit._

No more of the push and pull, back and forth, left and right.

"What the hell are you talking about, stupid?"

She's never heard of anything like this, after all.

Usually when a man and a woman felt such intense feelings for one another, the buildup would leave them in a tangled mess between sheets. Her heart was beating too fast and she still couldn't get enough oxygen to her brain.

Sure, she's never…ya know…before, but that didn't mean she didn't understand her bodies wants and needs.

She wanted and needed _Sasuke_ , and his hesitant **pussyfooting** was driving her _insane!_

Sasuke takes a step but he's caught in Sakura's web. She stands atop her bed, holding tightly to his shirt. "Stop leaving me when things get good."

"You don't deserve this," he declares, saying what he's been thinking this whole time.

He was bad, she was good—devil and angel, salt and sugar, winter and spring—they were complete opposites. "I'm not the man you need me to be."

Sakura feels her temper flare. Suddenly, her semi-nudeness is not enough. She tugs at the bands that were pressing tightly against her swells, pulling the wrap off completely. Sasuke's eyes immediately move towards her milky skin.

"Why do I need a man to be my _anything_?"

Using his hand as leverage, she pulls, and the sudden movement sends Sasuke tumbling into her bed. The entire thing shakes, slamming against the wall from his pressure and she straddles him in her standing position, giving him an upwards view from her sweatpants-covered legs to her unadorned torso.

Sasuke wraps his hands around her calves, looking into her downcast gaze. "You don't have to do this for me."

"Who...in the _hell_ …says I'm doing it for **you**?" She spits, letting her venom pour out.

With her bindings in her hand, she moves quickly, wrapping the cloth around Sasuke's wrists and pulling the rest of the fray through the openings of her headboard, successfully tying him in place.

Sasuke is absolutely stunned.

His heartrate picks up, and the sudden movements make his actions slow and his face numb.

He tugs against the cloth that used to cover her, finding that the knot is powerful and that…

…that he uh, kind of…doesn't want to break it, anyways.

Redness dusts his cheeks.

Sakura is as gentle when she touches him this time. Using only her fingertips, she lifts his chin so she can see every centimeter of his face. "I get it. I get that I don't look very feminine—I don't have huge tits and a tight little belly and perfect skin. But you know what?"

Sasuke can't find his breath to answer her.

"I don't care anymore. I'm tired of being this demure little girl that everyone feels sorry for. I want to have sex—lots of sex—crazy, wild sex with someone I love. So stop treating me like some… _prudish_ …"blushing bride" already. "

"You're a virgin," he replies quickly, shaking his head as she falls onto his lower abdomen.

He's hard, and her pressure does nothing to mollify him.

As if reading his mind, Sakura floats along his cock once more—down, up, stopping _just_ at the tip.

He hates the barriers between them, and he hates that his body defies his minds logic.

(But really, did Sasuke know anything about women, anyways? What logic was he searching for it that fragile head of his?)

"So, take it." The woman shrugs. She's lost all morality and there's no room for embarrassment. "It's not like I'm a virgin on purpose. I didn't really have time to mess around while Tsunade was kicking my ass everyday on the training ground."

"You…" his voice hitches as she pulls up his shirt, running her hot palms over his abdominals—all the way down to his Adonis belt. She fumbles with his waistband. "You weren't waiting for me?"

She scoffs, sliding her finger on the inside of his elastic. "I'd like to think I was. I…wasn't ever attracted to anyone while you were away. If I had been—if I fell in love with someone else—I think I would have already..."

"Ah,"

"B-Besides…it's not like you waited for me."

"What?"

Her declaration makes his head twirl.

"Doctor-patient confidentiality," she chided. Sakura scoots down so that her warmth isn't constraining him.

She wants to see…it.

She wants to give him his own release.

"I didn't…" He bites his lip, arching his back as she runs her fingertips over the cloth of his pants. Slowly she removes them, leaving them low on hips. "I'm not some sort of…whorehound."

Sakura stops at this and looks him in the eye. His face is fevered, his chest rises and falls like it used to when they were kids—when the sun burned brightly in a Konoha drought, and they trained until they dropped.

He's not exhausted or fatigued, though.

Sasuke Uchiha…is blushing.

"You….aren't?"

The man shakes his head, holding back his groan from her caress. "I've been with three people," he admits aloud. "Twice under Orochimaru's order—and once right after I killed—ah—I killed Itachi."

"You've never done anything like this before?" Sakura asks, working on his boxers. The air is cool on his oven-like skin.

"No,"

Finally, he shows his eyes.

They glow crimson and violet, leaving trails of light in the deep obsidian of her bedroom. Sakura dazedly watches his tomoe spin before he shuts them tight again.

"You don't want to look at me?"

Man, she thoroughly enjoyed teasing this guy.

"I don't want to see what you're going to do, before you do it."

Just like that, Sakura pulls down his underwear completely, releasing his girth into the humidity of the sex-laden room.

She stares.

And stares.

And stares.

Sasuke opens one eye—his _Rinnegan_ , and takes in her face.

Her eyebrows were drawn together, not in confusion or embarrassment, but rather, in wonder.

She'd seen the occasional erection as a nurse—all different types. Looking at his member, hovering her hand just above his shaft, Sakura cannot help but say the first thing that comes to mind.

"What…what…do I do now?"

She knew about blowjobs and handjobs and all sorts of things from the dirty books Ino shared with her. The logistics were easy enough—both involved touch, by either mouth or…well, _hand_.

"What…?" Sasuke asks, not bothering to hide his confusion. "Just touch it."

"Will it hurt?" She asks. "What if I don't do it good?"

"No, it won't _hurt._ It's not like you can do it wrong." _Jesus fucking Christ_ , _this girl._

She takes him into her hand immediately and his eye closes once more, rolling back into his head as he savors the sudden pressure. Sasuke leans back into her mattress, hitting his head harshly against the wood of her bedrail.

Her touch is delicate and she feels the pulse that runs through him— _throb, throb, throb_ —it's a fast heartbeat, one that she may have been concerned about in a different situation.

Sakura watches in awe as he tries to buck against her.

"Harder," he bites out.

This was the most sensitive part of a man, wasn't it? How much was…too hard? She squeezes tighter and apparently it's not enough, because he breaks through her bonds and wraps his hand around her own, stroking.

With his eyes shut and blackness engulfing him, Sasuke has no idea that Sakura is so close until she wrenches his hand away and takes him fully into her **mouth**. The sensation is too much, too sudden, and Sasuke jerks his head upwards just in time to see her full, pouty lips move past his crown and down the length of his shaft.

Sasuke feels his climax build up.

It was like the _need_ for _something_ , and simultaneous fulfillment rocked around him all at once. Sasuke felt the mind-shattering thirst build up within him as she worked herself up, down, up, down, moving his dick between her slightly grazing teeth provocatively.

"Sakura,"

He'd never think of doing something so…so…degrading? Wasn't it degrading to women? Sasuke wouldn't have asked this of her in a million, billion years. But as she moves and pulls him closer to the edge, he's _fucking_ happy she did.

So long as she's okay with it…

Sakura lays her tongue flat, letting it cushion his crest as it enters her mouth. She wraps around him with one hand, forcing it to move vertically as he piles through her warmth. He cranes his neck forwards to watch bobbling locks of pink hair cocoon her red, fevered cheeks.

Sasuke's _Sharingan_ is blazing. It ravenously takes in every flutter of her pale lashes, every thrust that forces her eyes closed from the depth and the force. She stops for a moment, panting, sliding her fingertips along her swollen mouth before shooting him a lusty grin.

Again, those puffy lips surround him. With a faster cadence before, Sasuke feels his orgasm form, itching for relief. A vibration starts from every corner of his body, coming to a swirling curve at the base of his pelvis. "Sakura, _fuck_ , I'm about to—"

She doesn't stop, though, and Sasuke throws his head back in a greedy release while she takes it all in, letting the thick heat slide across her throat.

Sasuke can't take it anymore. Still flying from his release, he tugs Sakura's body up to him onehandedly and slams her mouth against his. He kisses her—deeply, sensually, letting his tongue roll over the cut on her bottom lip. He tastes himself on her mouth, along with other things.

She's always tasted sugar-sweet.

"Don't leave me," She whispers onto his skin as she falls into his chest. Sasuke lets his own body press limply into the mattress.

"We could do this every night, if you'd stay with me."

* * *

Sasuke let the wind whip his damp, freshly washed bangs harshly against his face. A shutter on the side of her home slapped from the gust, following an unusual cadence in the darkness of the night. Or, was it early morning?

Sasuke never cared for semantics.

He sat on the step of her front porch, watching stray cats delve through various trash cans littered throughout the street. Though it was chilly, his skin felt like it was burning under the heat of his cloak.

Sasuke didn't think he could sleep tonight. It had been a long few days—what with almost dying, and all. What else? Ah, yes, his best friend was going to be a father and Sakura Haruno just…blew him, like, an hour ago.

He shook his head and drank in a deep inhale of fresh, freezing air.

They'd been through a lot these last few months. Sasuke didn't know where he stood now feeling-wise, but he certainly knew where he started from.

In the beginning, Sakura was nothing more than a comrade from old, unbreakable bonds. He bites his lip, trying to remember how and when she'd wound herself so tightly to him.

The girl had never been much of a fighter, which was odd for a kunoichi. With no real talent except for amazing chakra control, intelligence, and a pension for genjutsu evasion, Sasuke found her to be more of an annoyance than an ally.

And, when he said annoyance, he didn't mean it to be derogatory or even _rude_ —it was simply a truthful statement, a judge of character. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Sakura Haruno bothered the hell out of him.

It was annoying when she had spoken about Naruto like he was beneath her just because he was low-class. It was annoying when she tried to get him to stay the first time he left, because she would hurt _just as much_ as he did. And, it was annoying when she tried to sway him from his battle with Naruto mere months ago.

But, Sasuke finds that these are things that bother him because they involve the worst of her emotions—condescension, sadness, and desperation—and he didn't really care to see any of that.

So when, during all of this weakness, did Sakura start to mean something to him?

The first feelings—true feelings—he remembers fluttering in the pit of his stomach when he awoke to her weight over his body in The Land of Waves. For the first time, in a very long time, someone had cried over him and worried about his safety genuinely.

Had…this…this beautiful mess been brewing since then? His need to protect her had evolved as well—from saving her because she was **weak** , to saving her because she was **important**.

He pulls at the loose strings around a button, tugging them lightly as golden leaves are carried gently along the street. A pile is gathering at around her mailbox, becoming a makeshift barricade for the dead foliage.

Somehow, after years of resilience and steadfastness, Sasuke had lost his ability to concentrate on important things and found his mind straying more and more to the cherry blossom of Konoha. She's asleep now, recovering from her high in the folds of her blankets—the high that curled her toes and made her wrap around his waist like a cobra. The very same feeling she gave to him.

More and more, Sasuke thinks of "what ifs". What if he would have stayed—what if he would have grown with her and Naruto and found out about Itachi the _right_ way?

He tastes copper in his mouth and finds that he's gnawed through his raw lip. The moon shone high, reflecting the newly bare branches of the oak tree in the front yard.

The man knew that thinking of the past would get him nowhere, because it would always be filled with "what ifs". More than anything, Sakura didn't need "what ifs" to weigh her down. Sasuke wanted her to be happy.

So, she didn't care about formalities and traditionalism.

But, she did care about his presence.

And that was a happiness he could not give her…not for a while. There was too much to be done.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope this was worth the wait for you! (Believe me guys, it's always worth the wait.)**

 **I am really shy about this stuff, I had to get my faithful friend Roo to read this for me before I had the guts to post it. Bless her, ya'll. She's such an angel, and one of the reasons I continue to do my best! T.T**

 **Let me know what you think, okay? I need to know if I should continue with these types of scenes, or just let it fade off into the chapters! I'm thinking there will be 10-15 more chappies. I hope it's not dragging on, it's supposed to read like a book.**

Also, I would like to send a special thank you to the reviewers-guests, mostly-that assumed I was sexist by having Sakura be some sweet, fragile virgin and Sasuke some type of "whorehound", lol. Hopefully now you see why I spent so much time on these stereotypical views-because as Ninja, we should "read underneath the underneath" and Sasuke and Sakura won't always be how you expect them to be! They're still growing, muahahaha.

 **I genuinely plan to keep exciting you all with twists and turns, (and not drama, I hate drama).**

 **So, thank you EVERYONE, [even the people that send flames], for your reviews. I will learn and grow from you!**


	32. Chapter 32: Love is lost

Chapter 32: Love is lost.

Sakura falls back into her routine the very next morning, making her presence known at the hospital and keeping her mind busy with surgeries and examinations. It had been an incredibly slow day—which, for a hospital was really good news. It also gave the kunoichi time to delve through her notepad and retrace old entries.

She was going to find out who poisoned Sasuke, after all.

Her pencil balanced between her nose and upper lip as she flipped the pages of her notebook. She'd exhausted every source, every lead. Sakura had been the one that destroyed the poison herself, and her notes were very vague and riddled with unanswered questions. In fact, if Sakura had to make her venom again, it would take days of trial and error—and poison was _pretty much_ her specialty.

Ino walked into her room without pause, plopping down a thick booklet of reports. "That old lady from the night crew keeps "forgetting" to write down her shift details. If she does it again, I'll drop that hag."

"Oh, stop," Sakura replies, pulling the tie out of her hair. Her head and began to hurt from the tightness. "She's been doing this a lot longer than we have. It's a bad habit, I'm sure, but I don't think she means to piss you off. Show a little respect."

"Yeah, well, we also stopped restraining people and forcing pills down their throats. I don't think you'll have the same nonchalance with that!"

Sakura rolls her eyes and unlocks the key to her desk, throwing her booklet inside. "I'm trying to figure out who tried to kill Sasuke. Leave me alone."

Ino leans on her desk, ignoring the last bit. "Like, in his entire lifetime or just from the other day? Because I can tell you, you might be here for a while."

When Sakura groans, Ino continues. "Why don't you just go to the surveillance sector and bat your eyelashes a bit? I'm sure they'll let you in."

Sakura hadn't thought of it. There were cameras everywhere that sent recordings directly to the Hokage Tower—even her office was watched. She takes a sip of her coffee, wondering how high her standing was with her former sensei. Would Kakashi let her delve around without writing an official report? The man had fallen back into his "rules this, rules that" ways from before Sakura had known him. Which was probably why she, Naruto and Sasuke were still having to participate in these stupid Jonin exams when they were all practically ANBU level.

Che.

"I guess I can try."

A gentle rapping on her door sent both eyes to the entrance. Slowly, Amu poked her head in and waved a mild "hello". "Uh…someone…wants to see you, ma'am."

"Well, send them in, kid." Ino barks authoritatively, taking on Sakura's position. Said woman shakes her head and waves to her apprentice in a much gentler manner.

His shoulders are the first to enter—broad, defined, well built. Yuma Hojo carefully steps into the office, creasing a slip of paper between his thumb and forefinger. His hair has grown longer in just a few weeks, now sweeping just above his dark eyebrows.

"G-Good morning,"

Sakura hasn't seen him since, well…since he tried to kiss her. Honestly, she rarely saw him, anyways. It was odd that he would show up at her office this early in the morning, and it wasn't such a good surprise. _I hope it's not another love letter…_

She carefully stands, gesturing to the empty seat beside a very intrigued Ino. "Go ahead and sit. What can I help you with?"

His steps are long, and in three he's already to her desk. With a polite nod of his head and a careful plop, he adjusts himself into her wooden chair and places his paper face down. "I…want talk to you about the results on my physical."

Seeing that this was personal rather than play, Ino gathers her stack of reports and drifts out of the room with a flip of her hair, huffing all the way to the lounge. Sakura holds the sheet in her hand now, scanning the familiar details.

The words may have confused some, what with the large words and vague diagrams. But Sakura was well versed in reading results. Everything seemed normal, except for the heart murmur diagnosis, which didn't intrigue her very much. "What's the problem?"

"I asked the lady at the desk what a "murmur" was, because no one said anything to me about it. I found the nurse that did the physical and she completely blew me off. You're my last hope. Can I still participate in the exam?"

His murmur was innocent. On a scale of 1-6, with 6 being the loudest, it was rated a solid 2. Still, Sakura thought she'd better hear for herself before commenting on the severity. A staff meeting was due—everyone was to explain any and all results to a patient. Especially if they practically followed them around!

The woman went through the usual routine, checking his skin for any blue tint and running through a list of non-symptoms. Placing her stethoscope back firmly around her neck, the doctor explained what was going on. "A heart murmur is an unusual sounding heartbeat. However, it sounds very faint and it shouldn't affect you at all. More than likely, you were born with it and you just hadn't been diagnosed. Just because I like to double-check everything I do, let's walk down to the X-Ray station and have a closer look."

"What if it's bad? What does that mean?" Hojo asks, standing to follow her out of the room.

* * *

"So, you know who poisoned you and you're not going to tell anyone jack shit?" Naruto asks, walking through the automatic doors of the hospital. "That's dumb af."

"Stop talking like a fucking teenager." Sasuke grunts, following the man to front desk. "It's not like it will make a difference, anyways."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What if that psycho tries to kill other people, too?"

Sasuke knew that was a moot point. He was the intended target, after all.

Really, though, he felt sorry for the girl. Whatever deed he'd done to earn her hatred would never be appeased until he died, probably. And Sasuke really didn't plan on dying for a while. What did Naruto say... _Sorry not sorry_? Tch.

"I just can't figure out why you let it happen, too. It's not like he could sneak up on you," The blond says, assuming it was a male that had contaminated Sasuke. "You had to have known what was going on."

"Hm,"

What would be the point of snapping her wrist, though? Sure, in hindsight Sasuke had almost died, but at the time he didn't think any half-assed venom would cause him so much damage.

"Well, I hope you're regretting it, because now you have to get stabbed all over again and this time with a _real_ vaccination."

"Whatever,"

Naruto leans over the desk once the last patient walked off. He smiles at the elderly woman who had her silver hair tied into a high bun, and more than a few crow's feet creasing the sides of her eyes. "Can you tell me who gave this guy his shots last time?"

Sasuke shook his head at the woman. "Don't do that. I'm here for my vaccine."

"You think I'm an idiot?" Naruto whispers with a sideways look as she taps on her computer. "I'm no sleuth, but if I put one and one together, whoever was supposed to vaccinate you…"

"Here you go, Lord Naruto," the woman says with a smile.

She has the name scribbled onto a thin sliver of paper, folded only once lengthways. Before Sasuke can snatch it out of the Kyuubi's hand, the familiar voice of Sakura Haruno trickles around the corner and causes his whole body to tense.

"Everything was fine, just like I told you." She says, smiling sweetly at Hojo. She pats his shoulder reassuringly.

In her lab coat and with her hair messily tied up at the crown of her head, she looked completely different from the swollen-lipped woman from last night. Sasuke finds that he can't keep his eyes off her over movements—the clipboard that she presses to her breasts, the hand that finds its place on the swoop of her wide, birthing hips, and finally to the gentle curve of her mouth as she spoke.

Her delicate hand sweeps across some man's upper bicep lingeringly.

The guy wasn't anything special—just plain-looking with floppy brown hair and muddy irises (who was a bit on the taller side). Sasuke narrows his eyes as she turns her head, finding their presence easily in the lobby of her hospital. Gaudy orange and blacker-than-black stuck out in high contrast against the whiteness of the room.

"Uh…hey…guys," She sputters, ignoring their frozen stance. Her face his hot, seeing Sasuke for the first time since… _Ahem._ "W-What are you doing here?"

Naruto triumphantly holds out his paper. "I've got some information you might like."

Sasuke was rarely slow to react But Sakura's arrival had thrown him for a loop. (Really? Sakura, a doctor, in a hospital? _Shocking.)_ Before he can stop Naruto, Sakura glides towards him and slips the note into her fingertips.

It's just a name, scribbled quickly onto a torn piece of a hospital form. "Amu Hojo?"

"Amu?" Hojo says, peering over Sakura's shoulder. His chin brushes against the slope of her neck, and she turns quickly from the touch. His nose slides against her cheek. With heated cheeks, he says: "That's, uh, my sister."

Sasuke opens and closes his fist and flicks his eyes towards the hallway.

Hearing her name, Amu rounds the corner. Her ears were synced up to her teacher's familiar voice, after all. Hair falls from its braid in her haste, cascading around her shoulders like a halo.

Halos were meant for the innocent, though.

When she runs into the group of four, her face falls immediately, feeling the sudden pressure. She snaps her eyes to the floor, finding interest in her bleached nursing shoes. "Yes ma'am?"

Sakura does not ignore the shamefaced behavior.

Once summer, the pink-haired kunoichi had been assigned to work under Ibiki Moreno in the Konoha Interrogation Unit. Tsunade had explained that being a healer meant people were keener on trusting and confiding in them. There were obvious signs of guilt—refusing eye contact, nervous attitude.

 _What is this about?_

Naruto takes a step towards her, leaning low so brown eyes clashed against blue. "You're Amu?"

There's a thick silence that follows as the teen darts her eyes from Sasuke to Sakura, and then to her own brother. "Y-yes, can I help you?"

"Don't play innocent." Naruto calls out. Suddenly he's towering above her flipping from his previous charm to that of an angry authority. He bares his teeth, showing off his sharp canines. "I see right through you."

The guests in the lobby all turn towards the quintet, curious of the sudden loudness.

Sakura slaps her hand against Naruto's chest, pushing him away from her student harshly. All sorts of things run through her mind as she steps in front of Amu. She opens her mouth, preparing to discipline.

But it's not Amu she barks at.

"What are you going on about? Don't come into my hospital and create such a ruckus!"

"Tell her, Sasuke," Naruto replies, looking at the onyx man. His sternum stings from Sakura's force but not enough to halt his words. "Tell her what this chick did!"

Sasuke sends his frostiest glare to Naruto, though the fire of the Uchiha clan roared to life within him. "Drop it,"

"Tell me what?" Sakura asks. "Why are you acting so hostile?"

Her calming, seafoam irises are just as healing as the glowing chakra that falls from her hands when they float over Sasuke's marred skin.

Sasuke doesn't want Sakura to know.

It wasn't as if he were the type to needlessly keep secrets. There were certain things the man simply did not want out. He was a private person for good reason—Sasuke was not ignorant of the fact he was either loved or hated. The less people knew, the less they had to make a correct judgement about.

In this situation, the Uchiha did not blame this young woman's reasoning, whatever it may be (petty or justified). He was well aware of his misdeeds. For her to brazenly attack in such a small, enclosed environment with premeditation …Honestly, he probably deserved it.

Sasuke sighs.

"That that little schemer over there," Naruto begins, inhaling a deep breath of antiseptic laden air. "She is the one that stopped his **heart** the other day."

Really, he would have expected just about anything from Sakura.

He would have expected the linoleum to crack under her rage, or for her to jump onto the girl like a hellcat. As a Genin, she would flex her claws towards any woman that so much as glanced in his direction—enemies usually got it worse. She'd spend two days keeping him alive, after all. This girl wasn't going to get away unscathed.

His body coiled and his eyes throbbed from the chakra that tried to ignite his _Sharingan_ , because he actually suspected one of the two to happen. What would Sasuke's plan of action be: jumping away from her earthbound fist or _saving_ the teen that had just tried to off him?

Flowing, sugary tendrils of pink hair fall from Sakura's high twist and drift towards the soft curve of her petal-red lips; she captures the stray and tucks it behind her ear.

After a few blinks, she laughs.

It's a sound that reminds Sasuke of their youth—the noise that popped out when Naruto did or said something so idiotic she couldn't hold back. It was normally an understandable chide. Naruto hadn't been a very mature kid growing up, after all, and that left them trapped in all sorts of stupid situations. The plummy chortle was almost nostalgic—he hadn't heard it in a very, very long time. Mostly because it was reserved—it only came out when the _dumbest thing she's ever heard_ was topped.

"That's ridiculous."

Amu was a teenage mother. She'd been married young and lost her husband during the war, leaving her to raise the child by herself.

Sakura had seen her own passion in the girl's eyes—late nights studying thick textbooks and raking her brain for plausible diagnosis from unsolved diseases and illnesses. Amu didn't have the luxury of chakra control, but she was smart and cunning in her own right.

She wouldn't jeopardize her integrity _or_ her infant daughter's livelihood over something…like this. Not to mention that the notes Sakura had left behind were too advanced for the 15-year-old, anyways.

Amu simply wouldn't commit such a crime.

Sakura turns away, waving to all of the people that found their argument worth their time. She bows politely and crumples the sliver of paper in her hand, shoving it down into the pocket of her coat.

Naruto was dumbfounded.

If this wasn't the right person, Sasuke would have stubbornly denied his accusation. He growls, stopping his foot loudly which causes Amu to wrap her arms around Hojo's middle like a frightened, blameless child.

"Who else could it have been?" He asks. He wasn't some dumb child anymore. He resented being treated that way.

"I don't know." Sakura says between her teeth, growing tired of the nonsense. "Just look at her, you're scaring her to death. There's no way she'd do anything like that, and believe me, Sasuke is a lot more menacing than you are! Stop talking to me and go do something important."

For some reason, her humiliated demeanor only angers Sasuke. She's treating Naruto like an idiot. Sasuke sees a flash of her younger self—the conceited, haughty, _fake_ little Genin that didn't know what the hell she was talking about.

"Just ask Sasuke!" Naruto barks back in defiance. "There's no way _he_ would make up something like this!"

Sakura looks at Sasuke again—really looks at him. In the way Sasuke hated, like she was peering deep into his soul and trying to drag out his innermost thoughts. But Cy-Lan was not connecting them, and as hard as she dug, she would not find what she was looking for. His walls, though damaged, had not fallen.

So, she resolves to simply asking. "Alright, entertain me. What's your say on this, Sasuke?"

Entertain her? His eyebrows draw together at her hauteur. "Do I look like a fucking monkey?"

She rolls her eyes at his attitude. This is the first time she sees him since last night—since he left her in her bed and never came back. Now, he's accusing her most prized student of **attempted murder**.

Still, Sasuke wasn't the type to lie or even bend the truth.

But…but he _was_ the type to push someone away when they got too close.

Was this his intention? To hit Sakura at her weakest point—when she was still high from his touch—and turn her away for good?

Naruto speaks this time, feeling the tension draw too tightly between the two. "Sasuke got a summon this morning after we were done training. It said that his results showed there was no vaccination in his system." He explains, remembering brown hawk that flew on the man's arm. "It said he wouldn't be able to participate in the last exam if he didn't get them."

"I know this," Sakura says. She'd been the one that went through his file and sent the _damned hawk_ —she assumed he'd left before Amu had had the chance to administer them.

"He was injected with something, right? Whoever was supposed to give him his shot, shot him up with something else. Why is that so hard to believe?"

Sakura looks at Amu now, taking in her friends words. The woman distinctly remembers Amu's fervor—her want to practice injections after the strange, paralytic behavior she exhibited.

"Look at the records, Sakura. I just asked this lady over here and she said Amu Hojo is the one that—"

"Is it true?"

Sakura does not ask Amu. She looks directly at Sasuke.

He was stern and intimidating against the harsh lights of her lobby. Anyone else would have been afraid, but she'd seen his glare far too often to shrink back from the aggression.

Sakura certainly wouldn't put it past him to allow this young girl her peace by means of endeavored assassination. Especially if he knew he couldn't die from it.

But, that's the thing!

If Sakura hadn't had found him when she did; he could have. He had stopped breathing and gone unconscious, and without her chakra outpouring continuously to his chest, death was a very real possibility.

"This is none of your business."

Sakura crosses her arms and looks down at the girl that had followed her around for the last half-year. The girl who, in some strange way, acted like a borrowed sister—she was bright and intelligent and worked hard to get where she was at. With a heavy, resigned exhale, Sakura makes her decision.

"Leave,"

Hojo jumps at this, coming to his sister's defense as Naruto's eyebrows dart up from Sakura's harsh tone. Sasuke glowers.

"Sakura," Hojo begins, catching his sister from falling to the ground. Her knees have buckled. "You can't be serious. There's no proof, there's—"

"I will be going to the Konoha Surveillance Sector to find my proof. Until then, Amu, you're suspended."

Sakura looks at the girl deeply, never moving her hands from their folded position. "I genuinely hope this is all just a misunderstanding. It will be very bad for you, if it isn't."

With one last fleeting sweep, Sakura turns on her heel.

But, she is followed.

* * *

Before she can slam her door shut, Sasuke is in her office.

He takes in the small room, filled with stacks of paperwork and bookcases lined with various manuals and texts. It smells of lavender and vanilla, unlike the rest of the surrounding hospital.

There's a tall window that outlooks the facilities garden, where various patients walk alongside nurses to enjoy some of the rainy, wet weather.

"I'm busy." Sakura hisses, wiping her eyes discreetly.

Sakura has never used such a tone with him. Sasuke's heard her berate Naruto like that, and even Kakashi, once. Her bark is much larger now, but her bite is definitely worse. Sasuke was an Uchiha, though. And rarely did they bow down. He was tired of Naruto and Sakura delving into matters that didn't concern them. Their obsession was starting to wear him thin, just like it did in his youth.

"I told you to stay out of it."

This time she crosses her arms to him. Perhaps it was a warning, especially when her left hip swung out and her right foot pointed to the side. Speaking with a thick, dominant voice she replied.

"I know what you said, and frankly, I don't give a shit."

His chakra flares and his eyes narrow. He knows she can feel it. That simple spark used to leave her cowering, but now it seemed she was waiting for it. She was no longer the young woman that kept her mouth shut at his beck and call.

"You're too busy chasing after me to think properly." He accuses, piercing her with downcast eyes. He knows it's a petty accusation, but a true one nonetheless.

She's seen his disapproving look before. It made her stomach flip. This feeling was the last thing she could handle right now. She inhales, letting fire consume her.

"It's always about _you_. Do you…really think I wanted to get rid of her? Better yet, do you think I suspended her because…" She walks towards him, looking directly into his odd eyes. "…because you're the goddamn _dumbass_ that can't dodge a little girl and a needle?"

Sasuke's eyebrows dart up. He's been called a few things by her—"coward," once, in the Forest of Death, and not so long ago, "idiot" as she healed his freshly dismembered arm. "goddamn dumbass" was new.

His perceptive eyes notice the tremble of her lip.

"This hospital is under _my_ control. Every ass that's wiped, every shot that's given—it's all recorded in these stacks upon stacks of binders for me to read at the end of every. single. shift."

As if to make her point, she grabs a handful.

" _I'm_ the one that makes the decisions around here. It was **not** Amu's place to put your life in her hands. If she truly did that, there is no room for her in _my_ hospital! I don't care if it was an elderly man that looked at her the wrong way or if it was some…some notorious Missing Nin that she was put in charge of. She broke her contract. She broke my trust. It doesn't have anything to do with _you."_

Sasuke turns to leave, no longer interested in her argument. But she's not finished.

They are breaking now—fragile would-be lovers with so much between them. Their ties are frayed, and slowly they unravel.

"So that's it? You bring this out of me and I'm left to pick up the pieces. So typical of Sasuke Uchiha; go ahead, run away. I hope you find what you're looking for."

His teeth grind together almost painfully. "Do you want me to leave, or do you want me to stay? Make up your mind."

"I already told you what I wanted last night."

Sasuke kicks her chair out of his way, not being able to properly express his disdain for this entire situation properly. He was never good with words. "I can't stay! Even if I wanted to!"

The second noise forces Ino's feet to run to Sakura's office. Naruto is leaning outside of the door, glaring at eavesdroppers as they made their rounds. He puts his arm up, successfully blocking her entrance.

The blonde blinks her dull blue eyes at Naruto. "Why don't you stop them?"

He sweeps his eyes across her distraught face. "Because they need this,"

Ino had been there for Sakura when Sasuke disappeared. She'd seen the light in her eyes flicker slowly into a lackluster glow as months, and then years passed with no word of the boy she'd fallen in love with so deeply. Her heart was disintegrating.

Sakura did not allow herself much time to grieve. For three days she confined herself to her bedroom—no food, no water, no sunlight. And on the fourth day she stepped out into Konoha wearing all black. Naruto left soon after the event, which meant that Sakura...

Sakura truly was alone.

The seventh day was Sakura Haruno's enlightenment. She decided that she would not rely on anyone, and that _she_ would safe Sasuke. She loved him—she would not forsake him, because he was _alive._

"Every time something good happens between us," the woman begins, swallowing the knot in her throat as she squeezes tears from glassy eyes. "You try to leave me behind. Just when you start to accept my love and heal from it, you turn away."

"I don't want to be healed,"

Ino and Naruto share a glance. Sasuke's voice was decrepit. They've never heard such a tone. He may have said the words, but he certainly didn't believe them. Naruto bit his lip.

"I know what you're trying to do, Sakura. I _feel_ it." Sasuke says, grabbing his chest. She watches as his frown deepens and his eyes narrow into small slits. "Since I was a boy, your emotions have tried to pry into my soul and it's not…your love is not my cure. It's my affliction."

Her hands are cool to the touch, delicately lifting his chin so he could take in her whole face. They tremble, just as her lips do, as she fights off the tears that threaten to break loose. "What else can I do? I won't turn my back on you."

Heat spreads across Ino's face and neck as she hears the intimate exchange. She gnaws her inside cheek, closing her eyes to mentally picture the scene playing out just behind her.

"Just kiss me." He replies in undertone.

It's so soft that Naruto isn't quite sure he picked it up. He turns slightly, just in time to see Sakura stand upon her tiptoes and presses a yearning kiss to his unmoving mouth. It is a bitter touch, because the couple is plagued with angst and sorrow.

Sasuke will leave in a mere months' time.

Sakura will be left behind yet again.

Sakura's mind thrashes. _He will fall in love with someone else—a real woman that can bear him his offspring and pass the baton of power. That's what he wants, isn't it?_

Sasuke's does too. _She will find a man that can love her wholly—she'll have family the family she deserves. That's what she wants, isn't it?_

How very wrong they both were in judging each other's opinions and feelings.

Her tears stain his cheeks as he pulls away, still tasting the salt from her lips. "I need to go."

With one final, fleeting look Sasuke moves past Ino and Naruto with a monotonous reserve. He could handle heartbreak, after all.

At least he knew he was capable of such emotions.

 _Tch._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Ah, back to the "pussyfooting", as Sakura had so elequently put it! Don't worry, it won't last much longer. The next chapter will be the last of flip-floppy Sasuke Uchiha. I figured Sasuke and Sakura needed a break, to process their feelings. It seems like the...realest of relationships bloom from back-and-forth, unsure, misinterpreted emotions. At least, that's how I see it personally. He's breaking, guys, and it's finally the good kind of break.**

 **Honestly, Naruto's gonna give him a good ass kicking. Bahaha. (;**

 **Thanks for following along. Remember, I aim for weekly updates, and I won't go longer than two weeks between posts! If you haven't heard from me in 14 days, shoot me a message. Send some crackers and milk. Poke me with a stick, to make sure I'm still breathing. Or something...**

 **As always, review and let me know what you think! Oh yeah, and if you notice typos or any grammar problems just send me a message. I don't have Beta readers so it's just me, and I'm a flawed person.**

 **Oh, and I had an angry anon yell at me in the reviews. Let me remind you all, this will be happy, and lead into canon. So whatever you think is going on, throw that out the window and read with an open mind! Bahahaha. (;**


	33. Chapter 33: Sakura had made her decision

Chapter 33: Sakura had made her decision.

Karin removes her headphones as Shikamaru enters the room. She sets the bulky earpieces down on her desk, rubbing her tired eyes from hours spent behind a computer screen. It was the good kind of fatigue though—the righteous kind. (And believe Karin when she says righteous. She's seen plenty immoralities in her lifetime.)

"Is it quitting time already, boss?"

Shikamaru eyes the redhead with admiration. She's worked well into the morning, delving through monotonous film footages from beyond their time. It was certainly more than he'd ever do.

He offers her a soda, because she hates tea and coffee. She takes the can and pops the top, taking her first sip of burning carbonation with a satisfied groan.

"You're a little past "quitting time"."

She adjusts her glasses higher on her nose and smiles up at him. It's a genuine, easy upturn of the mouth. "I've finished with the final tapes. They're all ready for the exams. Are they going to start the next round of participants?"

The man nods and takes a seat next to Karin. "The last 10 are going through now. It shouldn't take longer than a couple of weeks." He stares up at the black and white monitor. "You've really surprised me, you know? This uh, what is it called? Music video?—whatever—it's good idea on your part. It's certainly going to bring in the ratings."

Before Karin can thank him earnestly, there's a gentle tap on the door. Both heads turn to greet Sakura Haruno who's followed closely by the Hokage.

She has a way about her—kind, but firm, sweet, but strict—and it conveys both childlike innocence and the authority of a person with status. As a doctor, it meant she was approachable, but not walked over. And as a friend, it meant she would tell you how it was, but with respectful courteousness.

Her chakra is sending waves of distress towards Karin. It is a painful feeling—depression, grief, regret—but the woman is good at hiding her emotions. She pulls pink, puffy lips into a gentle, greeting smile.

"Sakura has a request." Lord Hokage says. "Do you have the recordings from the vaccination sector of the hospital?"

The redhead's fingers are already flying on the keyboard. "What date?"

Sakura tells her the approximate information as she leans against the desk. Her thin hips press into the edge, moving the table lightly. Though she's small, she is powerful, and Karin can't help but admire her for that.

Day-long records flutter by in a blur of nurses, doctors and patients.

"There, please," The Tea Rose says, touching the screen.

Sakura watches her body shift past Amu as the young girl enters Sasuke's waiting room. A janitor passes by, stopping to talk for a few moments before continuing with his mundane tasks.

Slowly, the door opens. Sasuke takes two solid steps, but his third is unsteady, forcing him to lean against the wall momentarily. His fingers run through his thick, messy locks before he takes off walking down the hall again with a sturdier pace.

It is right there, all of the proof she needed and didn't want.

"Can you burn this onto a disk for me?"

Karin is very polite with her as she pops the blank CD into the computer compartment. She was well-versed in this type of technology from Orochimaru's hidden compounds.

Her day job was a breeze, which was the best kind of "work".

"What's going on? Is this top-secret or something?"

Sakura blows a messy tendril of hair out of her eyes. "Oh, Sasuke almost died the other day and I wanted to see who tried to kill him. Apparently, it was my favorite student."

It's said in a sarcastically blasé tone.

Kakashi pipes up, reading his previous student incorrectly. "It's not good to pick favorites, you know."

"Bite me."

This time, there's no mistaking her flame. _Ah, she's in one of her moods. She sounds like Rin…_

"I'll leave her punishment in your hands, then." He says dismissively and walks out into the hall, balancing his erotica carefully between his thumb and forefinger. _Crisis averted._

To Sakura's surprise, Karin doesn't seem especially jarred by the revelation. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd seen Sasuke's life in danger throughout their time together. Perhaps she was used to assassination attempts in regards to him, which was just as heartbreaking as it was deplorable.

Sakura thinks of the argument she had with Sasuke. She thinks of her empty bed that smelled faintly like him—his abandoned toothbrush—his spare clothing sitting atop her laundry machine. Something sickening churns in her stomach, bubbling around the acid.

Sakura wants to know what Sasuke meant by his word and actions. She was thoroughly confused. What was so bad about falling in love? Why did he insist on pushing her away, and then ask for her lips when it was all said and done?

A reconnaissance mission was just what she needed. Who better than the only other female on his previous team? Especially considering Sasuke had…most likely had sex with her, after Itachi died. She shakes away the thought.

"Karin," Sakura says, accepting the paper case the woman handed to her. "Would you…like to grab breakfast with me? I haven't eaten yet."

Karin had never really been invited out like that. She didn't harbor any animosity towards the woman anymore—in fact, she was _rooting_ for her. Her heart thrummed quietly in her chest as Shikamaru answers for her.

"She'd love to. She needs a break, anyways. We can't keep paying her for 16 hour shifts."

* * *

That's how Sakura ended up sitting adjacent next to Karin Uzumaki at the newly opened café on the north side of town.

It was stylish and modern, built with expensive furnishings in an uncomplicated way. The kitchen was open for full view, and the hostesses were polite. A man sets Sakura's second sweet coffee down in front of her, nodding briefly before dashing off.

There was a bit of awkwardness between them, but Sakura was extroverted and broke the ice easily. "How do you like your new job? I was sad to hear you dropped out of the exam."

Karin had just taken a bite of her omelet. She sputtered, patting the side of her mouth on a cloth napkin before responding. "It's really easy. Shikamaru thinks I'd be better in interrogation, but I don't think…I'd like to be around that. Or hospitals, ya know…just for a little while."

Sakura didn't know too much about Karin's previous life. She assumed that the woman had been… _used_ frequently, considering her skin was marred with permanent bite marks.

 _Which marks belonged to Sasuke?_

She removes her eyes from Karin's neck, remembering Sasuke's fangs and tongue as they tasted the flesh above her own jugular. "I understand. I didn't want to be a medic in the beginning. I was actually more inclined towards genjutsu illusions and avoidance."

Karin curiously regards her. "I wouldn't peg you as that type. You're so naturally talented in healing."

Sakura smiles and sips her warm brew. It's bittersweet and scalding, but she savors the taste. "I don't want to beat around the bush any longer, Karin. I'd like to ask you a few questions about Sasuke."

The redhead opens her mouth quickly, perhaps to refuse the request, but Sakura continues. "I'm not—I'm not your rival or your enemy. I want to help him."

Karin considers the genuine tone to Sakura's voice.

Sakura has innocent eyes and unmarred skin. She looks naïve to the true tragedies of the world around her—including those that Sasuke himself had been subjected to. But she was a kunoichi, and as a doctor, she's probably seen most of these atrocities face-to-face. Still, saying those words aloud was difficult.

"Sasuke's…afflictions…need to be self-healed."

"What ails him? What did they do to him—in that place?"

A roasted cherry tomato calls her name, and when Karin's red lips enclose on the warm fruit, it bursts into her mouth like a flavor bomb. She chews it fully before speaking again. "They did a lot of things."

"Karin, I genuinely want to understand him. You're the only one that I can speak with about this."

Karin wished Sakura would just give up on the man. It would save her a lot of heartache. He was broken and shattered after all—probably beyond repair. Sakura could find a nice husband and a warm house and spend the rest of her days healing and battling and becoming whatever the hell she wanted to be. Just like the old "Mom, dad, 2.5 children, a dog and a white picket fence" cliché.

"Kabuto was ordered to heighten Sasuke's pain tolerances." Karin says, remembering the files thrown haphazardly on that man's desk. The papers flash behind her eyes—data of Sasuke's improvements and failures. "There was a lot of stuff involved. Things I…I _really_ don't want to talk about. It was all voluntary for him, though. I wish I could say the same about the others."

"You can be vague, but I need more information than that." Sakura says, crossing her legs.

"Environmental endurance," She takes another bite of her omelet, but it doesn't taste as good as it did before. Speaking about cruelty left her stomach hollow. "Resilience to shock, poison immunity—his pain and passion receptors were flipped. Good felt bad and bad felt good…that sort of stuff. It involved things like bloodletting, induced hypothermia and hyperthermia, psychological torture, and drugs—like a _lot_ of drugs."

Sakura's hand finds her mouth, successfully capturing the involuntary gasp that threated to erupt forth.

"I was called once to heal him, but I wasn't…I wasn't allowed to see. Orochimaru didn't really want to scar his body, ya know. So…most of it was internal, to make his mind weak so it would be easier to take. Sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, sensory removal—"

"Okay." Sakura gnaws at her lip, going through the information. She expected most of the abuse. Even as a girl, the pictures she had never seen haunted her dreams. But…mental manipulation hadn't really crossed her mind. Didn't Itachi do enough already? "His receptors were flipped?"

Karin nods.

Did that have anything to do with his detachment to Sakura's advances? Was it really…agonizing for him to fall in love?

"He used to have feelings for you." The redhead says suddenly. Sakura looks up at her with curious eyes, wondering where the sudden announcement came from.

Karin wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. She'd heard Sakura's first confession, after all, when Shikamaru forced Sasuke down and showed Naruto and Kakashi. In fact, it's what let her to start working in the surveillance subdivision.

The woman had longed to see Sasuke's true smile for as long as she could remember. In Team 7's old film, Karin's dreams finally came true. Genin missions and training spars appeared on monitor she'd sat by for hours upon hours.

Sasuke touched Sakura often—mostly in protection, but not always. He was near; his hand always hovered just beyond her skin. Ah, watching a young and prepubescent Uchiha certainly was a good way to pass the time. (Plus, she was getting paid for it.)

But…he was not an innocent child anymore. He'd been molded by the cruelties of the world, formed into a deadly-killing-machine-turned-good-guy by Naruto's heavy influence.

Karin didn't see very many virtuous, genuine people. Sakura's kind was few and far between. She was destined to save the world in a way that neither Sasuke nor Naruto could do, and Karin would make sure that happened.

Sasuke Uchiha would only smear her.

Karin cared for him, really, she did. But maybe it wasn't the normal type of "caring"—because she felt everyone would be better off if he was left to roam the earth while life in sweet, pure Konoha bustled on. She had a feeling Sasuke felt the same way.

The curse of the Uchiha would die with him.

"He favored for you deeply. But, during my travels with him, I realized that Sasuke…could not be redeemed." She thinks of the impurity within his chakra. She can still sense it—a ball of black, surrounded by the deepest blue you'd ever seen. "There's something deep within him that I don't think _even you_ could ever reach."

She stands now with a full belly, and thanks Sakura for the date. There was still much to be done before the exams. Karin was going to make sure Sakura saw her side of things.

Soon.

* * *

Sakura wasn't all that surprised to come to an empty home yet again. It felt like she'd been away for years, though dirt didn't cover her countertops or anything of the sort. She makes herself a cup of tea, sipping it occasionally as her TV drones in the distance.

The second round would be coming to an end in a few days' time. She was proud to say that her solo battleax training sessions had been wonderful as of late. Her muscles ached, and her skin was soaked, and her hair stuck out every which way. She makes her way to her shower, washing off layers of cold dirt and autumn air.

Sakura hadn't seen Naruto or Sasuke in a week. Hojo, however, had been visiting frequently.

Sakura helped Amu get a job as a waitress at an expensive restaurant by the Hokage Tower. Hojo would bring his niece by often—she wasn't yet one and had only a small layer of hair on her pink scalp. Her grin was gummy and her eyes sparkled, and Sakura could only hope the second chance she'd given Amu would be put to good use. If not for Amu, than for the sweet angel she gave birth to.

She wasn't spending time in a jail cell, after all.

Sakura insisted on babysitting every weekend, and her first experience would be tonight. She felt a little silly—what doctor didn't know how to change a baby's diaper? But she learned with Hojo's patience, and it had only taken three days of practice to become an expert. (Eye roll)

Sakura suds her locks and runs her loofa down the length of her arms.

It was sad to know that life, indeed, continued on without Sasuke's presence. It was sad that Sakura was slowly getting used to an empty home. (Let's be real, Sasuke wasn't much of a guest, anyways.) It was sad to know that…that he could truly leave, and it would almost be the same as him being _here._

She glances at her reflection in the mirror above the sink.

She was still leggy and plain looking, but surprisingly, her stomach had gotten more toned and her hips seemed a bit wider. She smiles briefly and her smooth, unblemished face before dunking her head under the steaming spray of water.

When she walks out of the bathroom, she hears the front door open and close. She pads to the foyer, barefoot, in only a large tee-shirt and a thin pair of pajama shorts. It midafternoon; Hojo would be bringing Ahiru by soon.

She sees Sasuke's dark cloak first as he hangs it on her coat hook.

Seeing his face sends a flood of emotions through her—so much so that her body physically starts to tremble. Suddenly, things weren't _okay_. She pauses, meeting his placid expression with her own shocked one.

His shirt was tore and he was bleeding profusely from a nasty gash on his cheek. His visible skin was riddled with various bruises and bloodstains. Sakura quickly swings into medic-mode, ushering him inside without the slightest bit of hesitancy. Using her knee to shove aside her coffee table, she gently eases him to his back on her couch.

"What happened to you?" _Are we under attack? Is this another assassination attempt? You came back to me?_

"Naruto," he replies with a low voice.

Her hands pool mint into his ribcage and her eyebrows knit together as she estimates the severity of damage. She shakes her head, gently running her palm over his clothed chest. "Your left lung is punctured, you have three broken ribs—fifteen are fractured."

All the while, Sasuke watches.

Her bottom lip juts out just a bit, glistening from the moisture her tongue bathes it with. She blows at her bangs, unsuccessfully moving them from her line of view as both hands press into the trunk of Sasuke's torso.

She's concentrating, he knows this. But her proximity is too much. With steady fingers, he tucks defiant strands behind her ear. Sakura breaks her focus. She's startled, like a rabbit after hearing a leaf crunch from under a hunters boot.

"Sasuke, what…?"

Sasuke pants from her jutsu—it's delicious and pure and fills his body with silly thoughts. He gazes at her with half-lidded eyes, feeling high from her touch. Slowly his thumb touches the curve of her mouth and the indention of her cupids bow. It's calloused and coarse against her skin.

"I don't want to stay with Naruto anymore." He confesses, feeling a little lightheaded.

"We can talk about this in a moment." She says breathily. "I need to—"

"They're weird."

She shifts, propping her knee upon the cushion so she can hover above his wound. Although his attitude denied his true pain, Sakura understood the severity of his damage. Some patients needed to be talked to during procedures—especially if they were edging on delirium. She's heard that filling someone else with chakra was…rather intimate, but it seemed Sasuke was especially sensitive to this procedure.

"What does that mean?"

* * *

 **Flashback**

" _You don't like vegetables."_ Sasuke commented, watching Hinata sit after she placed a bowl of seasoned carrots, broccoli and cucumber out on the table. She opened up the pinkest, brightest book he'd ever seen.

Naruto paused and looked at the tree-like plant pressed between his fingers. It was true; he hated the taste and the texture. Eating healthy was about as fulfilling as…as stale air. He shrugged and popped the thing into his mouth.

" _She likes it when I eat right."_ He'd said.

" _What does that have to do with anything?"_

Sasuke didn't…understand. If Naruto hated something—loathed it, even—why would he cast his own feelings aside just because his…wife…liked it?

After another hearty bite, the man looked at his bride who paid no mind to their conversation. She was scribbling possible names in her notepad. There was a longer list of girls than boys, and for some reason, that made Naruto think she was pegging for a blond haired, white eyed daughter. That and her affinity for everything _pink…_ with her luck, they'd end up having a boy.

Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This was a hard thing to explain, after all.

" _Hinata…has these towels in the spare bathroom with my clan insignia on it. I can't touch them. I can't dry my hands on them. They're for "guests", and it annoys the hell out of me. Why would we have something in our home that we can't even use?"_

Sasuke listened, narrowing his eyes at the random information.

" _I can't walk around our house with my shoes on, either. She wants me to buy 2% milk—like there's a difference between that and 1%."_ He rolls his eyes. _"Why is it a big deal if I use the dishes her parents gave us at our wedding? They're just catching dust in that weird cabinet with the windows in it! Why do I need to put down the toilet seat when I use it? Why can't she watch what she's doing?"_

Sasuke looks back to Hinata, who is seething, pretending not to pay attention to the conversation. Her pen bends dangerously under her pale, manicured thumb.

But just like that, her attitude dissipates, because Naruto's hand reaches out to the black-haired kunoichi and he gives his brightest smile. Heat powders Hinata's cheeks.

It's not the same blush that turned her skin red in their youth.

It's something deeper, something _realer_.

Something sparks between them—so strongly it's almost palpable.

" _I'll eat whatever she makes, and I'll **love** it. I'll dry my hands on the back of my pants, I'll take off my shoes, I'll buy that **damned 2% milk** , and I'll make sure to adjust the toilet seat so she doesn't fall in and get stuck or something."_

 _"I'd do anything within my power for her. Because she's my partner and because her feelings are just as significant as mine; it's important to her, so it's important to me."_

* * *

He looks at Sakura fully. Could he do such things for her? Better yet…could he allow some man to come into her life and _not_ love her the way Naruto loved Hinata? Sasuke starts to fume. "They're always touching each other."

"Mm, yeah, some couples do that." Her voice is distant.

 _Some couples do that?_

She suddenly feels his left hand move to her knee. It's hesitant, and the wrappings of his prosthetic arm feel just as foreign to her as the heat from his hand that cradles her cheek. The slow drag sends a pleasant jitter through her spine.

He's hurting, though. She has no time to worry about wandering hands. "I'm almost done, just relax."

"They kiss all of the time, too." He whispers.

Leisurely his palm trails upwards, gathering around the plumpness upper thigh. Sakura starts to feel woozy. She adjusts herself so that his hand is more outwards than inwards, and continues along.

Glancing down, Sakura sees that his eyes are glazed over—his mind is somewhere else.

* * *

 **Flashback**

" _You're a fucking dumbass."_ The kyuubi had said, commenting about Sakura and Sasuke's previous fight. " _You know she just cares about you. It's been six days already, stop moping around._ "

He landed a solid hit to Sasuke's chest, slinging him rearwards. Pebbles flew around as his back slammed into rock, creating a gruesome crack in the mountainside. Sasuke's ears rang from the G-force. Picking himself out of the crevice Naruto created, he huffed.

" _That's the problem_."

" _I can't keep playing umpire with you two. I'm a papa now._ " Naruto replied as he dodges _kusanagi_. " _Nut up or shut up,"_

" _What do you want me to do?"_ Sasuke spat, slashing once more at the thick flesh of his brothers throat. " _I can't…be the person she wants me to be."_

Driving his sword into the ground, Sasuke used his moonlight technique for leverage and threw his fist into Naruto's whiskered cheek. His head whipped sideways painfully, sending a spray of blood to the ground.

Naruto wiped his chin, and created a clone. His _Rasengan_ whirred. " _You're already the person she wants you to be_."

Sasuke did not watch Naruto approach.

Instead, he looked at his hands. They were stained with the blood of people he couldn't really remember; blank faces and dead eyes and forgotten backgrounds. Sin weighed heavily on his tainted heart and on his sullied soul.

Why anyone, especially Sakura, be so drawn to him? But more importantly…

 _What the hell am I supposed to do about it?_

Naruto had hit him with a steady blast. He felt his ribs cave in under the pressure, knocking the air out of him and forcing blackness to fuzz into his peripherals. The orange man stood above him, amazed that Sasuke had allowed for such a hit. He crossed his arms, answering the question Sasuke was sure he didn't say aloud.

"Stop pushing her away. Just let it happen." Naruto knew, after all, how his own romance bloomed from this realization.

* * *

Sasuke brushes his knuckles against her lower stomach now, and while he does this, he cannot think of much except for the fact that Naruto was **completely wrong**.

Sasuke Uchiha decided that love was a choice.

It wasn't something that just happened—not for _him_ , anyways. He would never blame this…want…this… _feeling_ on happenchance or destiny, or any other melodramatic bullshit.

Love was a _decision_.

And Sasuke Uchiha finally decided.

"Sasuke?" Sakura calls out as his left hand glides up the hem of her shirt. Though she's not finished healing him, Sasuke makes his move. Suddenly gripping her wide hip with Hashirama's hand, and cradling the nape of her neck with his right, Sasuke pulls her down to him hungrily.

His mouth tastes like spring water and ice.

Her eyes open wide before finally fluttering closed, because she can't believe this is happening again. Their noses brush against each other as Sasuke deepens the kiss—it's a new type, a new flavor other than **lust** and **hesitancy** and **raw passion**.

Sasuke moves for her to straddle him. Her knee presses into the cushion beside his still injured side, but he doesn't feel anything but her skin on his skin, and her heart throbbing against his sternum, and her hand pushing him away.

 _Pushing me…?_

"You're hurt," She says breathlessly, parting from his mouth.

"I'm fine." He replies thickly.

"Your cheek is still bleeding and—"

Sasuke presses his lips harder against hers. He's been denied this for too long—even as a boy, his second-guessing and indecision is what caused him to steal her lips six years ago. Sasuke was not a thief. He was not a degenerate. He was not _bad._

Sakura feels his hand on her lower back, falling down to cup her bottom unabashedly. She gasps against him, flushing from his arrogant confidence. But, in the same sense, it was _purely_ Sasuke—the real Sasuke—and it had been a long time since she's seen this side of him.

His nails bite, leaving crescent indentions through the thin material of her shorts. Lowering his mouth to the curve of her jawline, to the swoop of her neck, his teeth find their favorite spot right above her pulse.

His fingertips bypass her skirts waistband and brush against the cotton of her panties, gliding over her round—

"Sasuke, wait…"

Her head spins, feeling his hot palms near two of her most sensitive areas. His thumb skims the underside of her breast and he squeezes her ass simultaneously, feeling her up like it was the most natural thing in the world.

 _It is natural._ **Inner Sakura** says with a scoff. _You're just not used to it._

The warmth of his hot blood smooths onto her clavicle as he moves down, still trickling from his barely closed gash. "Let me heal you first, please, Sa…"

"I'm busy." He mumbles against her skin, leaving his mark.

"You're hurt." she responds.

He moves lower and higher, teasing her covered sex and the crown of her breast. She trembles against him, fighting with herself on which decision to take.

Sasuke dots his kisses and bites along her strong, bony shoulder. "Trust me,"

Time seems to stand still—the atmosphere hazes.

Sasuke bravely enters the elastic of her underwear and rubs her wetness, letting his fingers linger longer than she can stand. He moves in an unhurried circle as he massages her middle.

Sakura grips his bicep painfully in response.

"You want me," He says, and she doesn't think she's heard such a gravelly voice come from him in all of her life.

"Yeah," Hers, instead, is tremulous. Her hips curl inwards, sliding along his fingers. It feels so right. It feels like this was always meant to happen.

Before she can even moan, there's a quick knock on the front door.

"Oh fuck," she hisses and pulls away with a jump.

Her heat leaves him too quickly—almost as though he's fallen into a frozen lake. Sasuke folds his arms behind his head and watches her run to the foyer and stand on her tiptoes to look through the peephole.

"Oh no, _nononono_ ,"

"What is it?"

She paces around in a circle, cupping her cheeks as she thinks. They're sticky, and she removes her hand to see that it's red with Sasuke's plasma. Groaning softly and rolling her eyes, she looks at him.

"Ugh, uh, can you—can you answer the door for me? I've got to go change. Tell them I'm in the bathroom, okay?"

Before he has a chance to respond, Sakura is already bounding down the hall. He sighs, adjusts himself, and makes his way to her door. When he pulls it open, Yuma Hojo turns to greet him with a baby on his hip.

The two men's eyes meet.

It seemed Sakura had made her decision, too.

 _Who the fuck is this guy?_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I know there's a lot of stuff going on in this chapter. Finally I brought Karin back! I miss her. And NO, Sasuke and Karin didn't...do anything. Sakura assumed wrongly. Lol. Also, we'll find out about Amu's reasoning forthwith-ah, well, with the next chapter anyways.**

 **And I adore Sasuke and Naruto moments. Sorry if the flashbacks seemed...weird. I hope they show good development for Sasuke's train of thought. I wanted to write about these actual scenes, but I've decided to shorten it up a bit so we could have some more lovely SasuSaku moments-otherwise this entire chapter would be about Sasuke's realization (Which, after so long, would that really be a bad thing?). I think the flashbacks should do it justice, though. So hopefully that's enough!**

 **I'm only a few reviews away from 200-thank you all so much for everything! I'm so unbelievably blessed... I e** **ven extend my warmth to the angry reviewers-(though I do ask that you contain them to one long rant, rather than notifucking me with seven or so! It scared me, tbh! I read every review almost as soon as I get it. (: 3)**

 **Will we see jealous Sasuke? Who knows?! I don't even know! XD**


	34. Chapter 34: Would you prefer diamonds?

Chapter 34: Would you prefer diamonds?

The atmosphere is heavy as Sakura chatters on.

Sasuke can't keep his eyes away from her as she fiddles with the zipper on her dress—up, down, up, down—blathering on about everything that pops into her head. She explains to Sasuke about Amu, and what she was doing with her life now that becoming a medic was out of the question. "That's why I've been getting Hojo to help me, uh, learn how to babysit. I want to help her any way I can."

"Ah," he replies, trying his best to ignore the plain-looking man that sat so closely to her. When their knees brush together, he decides to watch the baby totter around instead.

Sasuke had minded children before—a lot of times, actually. It seemed every spring a new set of Uchiha flourished forth, and more often than not, the familiar wail of a newborn echoed through the corridors of their mansion.

"I hope you're not mad. We had a long discussion about you—about her actions—about _why_ it happened…"

He wasn't mad, not in the least. They lived in a world of fighting and killing and death, after all. Hell, both he and Sakura had tried to off one another for various reasons. Revenge is a bitter dish, but an addictive one. Sasuke certainly had no right to judge this young woman. Whatever reason she'd given Sakura to save her little ass had apparently worked, and that would be good enough for him.

Sasuke points a lazy finger towards the crawling baby. "She doesn't need to chew on that."

Hojo and Sakura hop up simultaneously, reaching towards the child just as she started to stuff a ryo into her mouth. Her grin is gummy and her face is dirty and her fingers are wet with slobber. The baby coos and looks up at her pink-haired babysitter.

 _She's not a very good cook._ Sasuke's eyebrows furrow as the strange thought burst through his head. _She's impatient, she dawdles. She cusses like a sailor and the zipper that's supposed to keep her mouth shut is just as broken as Naruto's._

These things would normally keep a woman from seeming maternal, right? But, as she lifts the infant and adjusts her onto the heavy curve of her hip, throwing a shoulder-length lock of hair towards her back, Sasuke can't see her as anything _but_ a mother. In fact, the revelation sends a shockwave throughout his body. Because she'd look _so well_ with a child in her arms. How had he never seen this side of her?

"Nice save," Sakura says to Sasuke, ignoring his inner monologue. She looks towards him with glittery eyes between pale, almost white eyelashes. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Her mother tried to kill me. I doubt she'd approve of me touching her baby."

Realization alters Sakura's features, but before she can respond, the kitchen landline rings. The woman frolics towards it and balances the phone between her cheek and shoulder as the baby leaves wet spots on her shirt.

"Oh, hey Naruto, what's up? You want us to go out to eat tonight? Uh…sure, let me ask him."

The woman dips her head into the living room, darting her eyes between the ridged Hojo and the relaxed Sasuke. "Would you…like to have dinner with Hinata and Naruto?"

Though the question was directed towards Sasuke, Hojo didn't seem to notice. "Wow, I'd love to! Having dinner with the future Hokage and his wife; that would be awesome!"

Sakura bites her lip. _Great, what do I say now?_

Sasuke stands, brushing invisible dirt from his shirt. He nods to her briefly, choosing this time to escape while Naruto chatters. Hojo stands up too, and reaches out his hand. It's a respectful, masculine gesture that makes Sasuke smirk.

Perhaps, what Sasuke is thinking is simply a petty thought. Perhaps it stems from some sort of heavy dominance the Uchiha have always prided themselves with. Still, Sasuke can't help but wonder if her boyfriend would be so courteous, had he known what Sasuke did Sakura on her couch moments ago.

Either way, the strangeness of the whole situation is too much to handle, and Sasuke isn't really sure he could keep his mouth closed. After a quick grasp, he leaves Sakura behind and walks out of the door.

Said woman watches with a heaviness in her heart. This wasn't exactly the type of reunion she'd hoped for.

* * *

The restaurant was lovely. Really, it was. Sakura had heard about it a few times on the television, but she'd never felt the need to eat there (especially not alone). Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't the "dating" type. She'd rather eat at a café in plain civilian clothing, with messy hair and comfortable shoes.

A man takes her coat and directs her to the table where Naruto and Hinata are already waiting. Naruto passes her a warm bun before she can even sit down. He stuffs his mouth with an extra and speaks with full cheeks. "Stick this in your face-hole. It's super good."

Sakura laughs and takes the bread, letting it crunch between her teeth. They speak for a few moments about pleasantries and unimportant matters. Hojo speaks the most, mostly out of nervousness.

"So, why is there a baby here?" Naruto interrupts, pointing towards the highchair after hearing Hojo drone on.

Sakura looks at the little girl. Her eyes were still baby-blue, sparking as she gnawed on the inner stuffing of Sakura's bread. The woman plays with a single curl, twirling it around in her fingers.

"Her name is Ahiru. She's Amu's daughter, and Hojo's niece. Amu actually works here. Since I'm a babysitter in training, I thought it would be a good idea to take her...especially with mommy being so close by."

Naruto looks between the munching baby and the bowl of rolls. The women pick up on his tentativeness as the cogs of his brain work. Really, it was a sight to behold. They'd seen this man in his most brutal of states—a rampaging demon fox, and a relentless soldier. But, Naruto was as bright as he was warmhearted, and he was soon to have a child of his own. This revelation could mellow the most hardened of warriors. He picks up the bread and slowly looks to Hojo.

"C…can I feed her?"

"Yeah, have at it!"

Hinata smiles as the man starts the difficult task of de-crusting the bread, pinching the insides into small, round bites. Ahiru hungrily takes them, snatching the morsels from Naruto before he can even place them on the tray.

Naruto wonders if his child will like these rolls. He wonders if, every day after he leaves the Hokage tower, he'll drop by here and pick up a dozen. Maybe it will be their favorite treat. Maybe it will be the only thing his kid will eat.

What if they had more than one child? What if she had _twins? Oh god..._

Ahiru wraps her small hand around his thumb. He's never seen anything so tiny. (Well, maybe he has, but it doesn't seem like it!) He runs his thumb over her fingernail—it's only as big as a half-grain of rice.

They're all fixated on the baby; they don't even notice Sasuke's arrival.

The man hadn't bothered debating with himself. Sasuke figured he owed it to Naruto to go on an _actual,_ normal outing at least once before the last part of the exams started. He would be leaving immediately afterwards, and he wanted to reserve the final days beforehand for intense training.

Naruto scoots over after an excited "Hey!", and crams Hinata into the wall so Sasuke can have the outside seat adjacent to Sakura. The kyuubi gives him a small, rolled up piece of bread that had belonged to Ahiru. "Enjoy, you bast—"

Sasuke elbows him, jerking his head towards the little thing beside him as she rubs her face on the food tray. "Don't curse."

Sakura's surprised, and delighted, to see him. It feels as though a heavy weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. In the background of her mind, she hears that Hojo is speaking again, but she can't seem to pretend to enjoy his conversation anymore. She watches as Sasuke leans back, letting Naruto carefully pass food to Ahiru.

Sighing and heeling her palm to her chin, the woman bats her long lashes and takes him in. Sasuke isn't inept to such affections, but before he could shoot her a quizzical look, their waitress bounds over and embraces her daughter with a quick hug.

"I'm so happy to see you here!"

Amu smiles radiantly at the table, looking healthy and happier than anyone had ever seen of her before. When her eyes land on Sasuke, she freezes.

This time it's not out of abhorrence or fear. This time it's not because she has a deviant, murderous thought.

Taking a step back, she bows. Loose strands of her mousy hair flutter in front of her face as she cranes low, showing proper respects. Her heart was thrumming powerfully within her own chest as she tried to find the right words. It wasn't as if she could buy a card that said, "Sorry for trying to kill you.", and flowers wouldn't do this justice.

"Forgive me, sir. Please allow me to explain my retched actions."

Sakura had already heard her confessions. It was incredibly personal, and incredibly sad. She places a delicate hand on the girls's shoulder, meeting her with what she hoped were steady, supportive eyes. "Sasuke doesn't need a reason."

Sasuke looks at her, thankful that she could portray his thoughts so easily. Amu, however, wasn't having it.

"My husband married me very young." The young woman begins. "I hadn't even had the chance to finish school. We had a good life, though. A small house, a nice farm, two kittens—we were lonely, but happy. Soon after our wedding, I became pregnant, and we didn't feel so lonely anymore."

Sasuke watches with weary eyes and a placid expression.

"We were so blessed. It was the best news I'd ever heard! But, good doesn't last long in shinobi villages. Before Ahiru was born, war broke out, and my husband was sent to the frontlines."

The table grows still and quiet. Naruto and Hinata knew all too well what that war had done firsthand. The pain of loss echoed throughout the village, to both ninja and commoners alike. Mothers lost sons, fathers lost daughters, and many a lover was left widowed. It was a hate-filled chain of events that had tragically engulfed yet another victim—yet another family.

"They told me Uchiha Madara had killed him." Tears had stopped running freely. Amu had always made it a point to never cry in front of her daughter. She would not cry for lost heroes. Her husband deserved more than that. "They said he'd fought bravely, and that they were _sorry_. I held his cold hitai-ate in my hands on the floor of our living room that night, looking at Ahiru, searching for his features in her own. We were left with a small house, a nice farm, two kittens, and husband-less...fatherless."

"You do—" Sasuke begins, but he's cut off.

"But then…then _you_ came back. You came back to this village and they put you in jail for such a short time and…and…it was your family that destroyed mine. I hated you. I hated you with every ounce of my being, because Madara was dead and there was no one else I could pour my rage into."

Absentmindedly, she rubs her finger along Ahiru's cheek. "I had to do good for her, though. She didn't need me to stay at home and mourn. She didn't need a withered, decaying mother. I became a nurse, so I could save families from the loss I'd been through."

Naruto feels Hinata's hand under the table as they all listen intently. She runs her thumb across his knuckles, and her eyes start to water because she could have been husband-less, too. It terrifies her, because it's still a very real possibility.

What if she was left with only a child and memories of orange jackets and blond hair and piercing blue eyes?

"One day, I heard some people talking about...you two." Amu isn't worried about admitting her misdeeds and illegalities. "I'd heard that there was a special poison that Lady Sakura had created to kill Sasuke, specifically. And I…I knew that I could **do it** , even if my teacher couldn't. So I transferred just enough of the toxin—one dose—into a spare vial. I kept it on my person every shift. I'd have to see you sooner or later."

Amu bows again, keeping her voice steady though she was on the edge of falling apart. "Because of my foolishness, I rightfully lost my position. My healing won't be used properly, and I can only put the blame on myself. Honestly, I deserve to be imprisoned. I see now, with Lady Sakura's explanations and kindheartedness, that sometimes we do bad things when we're hurt and misguided. I don't know much about your situation, or your family, but…but…"

"I'd like a glass of water." Sasuke says suddenly. He wasn't used to such admissions. He was a private person, and Sasuke especially didn't like outsiders to speak of his family. \

Still, he especially knew what it was like to be in such a dark, hateful state. In a way, Sasuke leveled with Amu, though his curse was physically and mentally manipulative. The fact was, he would do _anything_ in his power to avenge his wife. He looks at her from the corner of his eye, shining his _Rinnegan_ through a black fringe of hair. It's a look normally reserved for Sakura—an "I understand." But, this child does not know him the way Sakura does, so he'll have to speak his word aloud.

"There's nothing to forgive."

Blinking quickly, Amu tries to stop the heat from spreading to her cheeks. Being thrust into the adult lifestyle at a young age, she rarely felt like a kid. For some strange reason, Sasuke sounds…fatherly, and Amu can't remember the last time she's heard just a stern, but forgiving tone.

She scribbles on her notepad and smiles to herself as she takes the table's orders. The heavy mood that had plagued everyone since Amu's arrival had drifted away. The tension was lifted. They could breathe again.

Normal conversation picks back up once more. Sakura smiles towards Hinata as she explains how difficult it was telling her father the news—not because he was going to be angry, but because he was a _big softie_ for children. Hojo laughs and moves suddenly, spilling water onto the edge of Sakura's dress.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He says as they both reach for a napkin at the same time. His hands are large as the curl around hers, and with a timid embarrassment, they meet each other's eyes.

"D-don't worry about it!"

It's a scene right out of a shitty soap-opera. There would probably be songbirds and floating hearts drifting around, if Sasuke's seething wouldn't shoot them dead.

He understood jealousy—wanting something you couldn't have.

This certainly didn't apply to _this_ situation. Sasuke didn't think of Sakura as a possession or an item to covet, after all.

Not once had Sasuke ever doubted Sakura's skill. He recognized her weaknesses and strengths _equally_. He saw her for what she was—a lithe, long-legged, white-skinned powerhouse with the intelligence and the fortitude of…of a _Hokage._

No, his temper was flaring because Hojo _did_ see Sakura as...paraphernalia. In what little time he'd spent with the guy, Sasuke had caught him ogling _five times,_ just this evening. Little "accidental" touches ricocheted between the two, all on his part. Spilling water, dropping his fork, using her napkin instead of his...it was completely juvenile and absolutely silly. Hojo was a ninja. No one but Naruto could be that clumsy.

She was more than a beautiful woman...so, so much more.

"So, are you two like, a thing or something?" Naruto asks, pointing his chopsticks between Hojo and Sakura. She'd just finished taking a large spoonful of _Sukiyaki_ when she started choking on a mushroom. As she hacks into her towelette, Hojo speaks for her.

"Well, I mean, pretty much. We've been hanging out a lot."

She gulps a swift drink of her half-empty water, trying to calm her fit so she could deny the allegation. But before she can say anything, Naruto was already speaking again.

"Huh, I wouldn't have guessed. You're kind of dorky. I would have bet on Rock Lee before you..." He reaches for a packet of honey and drizzles it on a roll. "But hell, what do I know? Apparently Hinata has liked me since the beginning of time." Before he can pass the sticky bun to Ahiru, Sasuke catches his wrists.

"Don't. She's not one, yet."

Hojo looks at him questioningly, with a bit too much heat. His anger was a bit misdirected. (It was Naruto who chided him, after all.). "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sasuke could have preached off the long spiel his mother had given him when he tried the same thing— _infant botulism_ and all that. But instead, he removes his grip from Naruto and ignores Hojo's completely. After all, Sasuke was a man of few words that neither Naruto nor Sakura questioned very often.

Or, maybe he didn't answer because Sasuke didn't _care_ for Hojo, or feel like he owed him any type of explanation.

I guess we'll never know.

"Infant botulism," Sakura says. Her voice is sore, so it comes out gruffly. No one seems to question her, and she intern eats the sticky bread Naruto offered.

The reason seems to suffice for Hojo, and the meal continues in silence for a few moments. It's peaceful, really. You can hear the chatter between neighboring guests, the _thunk_ of chopsticks and cutlery, the scuff of waiters as they skitter to and fro. But "silence" and "Naruto" weren't very compatible. "Silence" and "Naruto" didn't ever last very long.

"So, uh, Sasuke…Kakashi told me you laid into him the other day about the Exams. Now they're not going to make it all "sci-fi" for the last round."

"I didn't lay into him." He replies, taking a bite of his sushi. "I gave him an ultimatum."

Sasuke understood that, after the war, it wouldn't look good for _any_ nation to seem weak. However, they were spending funds wantonly—on _stupid things_. That money could go to bigger and better projects like orphanages and school systems. Still, the council had a heavy hand over Kakashi, and that made for tough negotiations.

Sasuke was the middleman, and in the end, his coinage would be the deciding factor.

Sakura leans on the table, peeking under her pink bangs. It always amused her that Sasuke was so arrogant. Sure, he earned his superiority as the years stretched on, but Kakashi _was_ their previous teacher. Now, as Lord Sixth, Sasuke's Chunin status wouldn't hold very high. (Although, he was much stronger than said Hokage.) "What bargaining chip do _you_ have that can sway the Hokage so easily?"

Under his breath, Naruto mumbles, "They wouldn't be able to do anything without Sasuke's inheritance…"

Another heavy stillness befalls them. "Mumble" and "Naruto" weren't compatible, either.

"Do what?" Sakura stutters, shaking her head. "What do you mean by that, Naruto?"

Sasuke sighs. It wasn't as if it was a secret. It was simply…something that need not be mentioned.

"You're paying for the exams?" She asks Sasuke incredulously.

Naruto leans back, crossing his arms behind his head. "There's no point in dancing around it." He closes his eyes. "Sasuke's—well, the Uchiha's—are the ones that are paying for Konoha's restoration. He's literally "restoring" his clan through the rebuilding."

"You're…you're joking. There's no way…"

Naruto, AKA Sasuke's wannabe mouth, responds. "I guess it's what's left of his estate. I followed Sasuke around after sparing one morning, because he always said, "Blah-blah, I'm going to the bank, blah-blah, errands to run, blah-blah." I thought he was super poor, ya know? Considering he stayed with _me_ for like, a week, but turns out this guy is loooooaaaaded. And it pisses me off because I always pay for my meal with him. Lame, right?"

Sakura tries to process all of this as Hojo asks his own questions. "You're paying for the reconstruction? All of these new houses and businesses—the updated technology—that's from _your_ clan?"

Before the conversation can progress any further Amu brings the bill. She smiles at Sakura sweetly, unbothered by the strange revelation that caused the table's mood to shift once more. "Lady Sakura, I'll be by late to get Ahiru. We close at eleven, but I won't be able to get there until about one in the morning. Is that alright?"

"Of course," Sakura says dazedly. Her head was still spinning.

Amu turns towards her brother. "If you're finished eating, do you mind picking up my jacket from the house? It looks like it's going to rain again."

Hojo opens his hand to protest, but Sakura sends him a thumbs up. That makes him stand immediately, playing the part of a respectable gentleman. Placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder lingeringly, he grins. "Give me a call if you need any help with Ahiru. I'll see you soon. Probably...tonight."

Sasuke doesn't like that implication, and he's...relieved that Sakura doesn't notice the indecency behind his words. (She'd be a blushing mess, if she did.) And just like that, all that's left is Team 7, Hinata, and a baby.

Thankfully the meal is over, and there's no point in chatting with her friends any longer. Sakura stands and starts to gather things—the huge diaper bag that Hojo left behind and her own small purse. There's a sippy cup, a pacifier, two stuffed animals, and a spare bib that won't fit in the overstuffed satchel. She's a ninja though, so this is nothing. Once everything is in her arms, she stands and…

…and how did you get a baby out of this…this contraption?

She looks around the high chair, eyeing any obvious levers or handles that would free the girl. Feeling like an idiot, Sakura calls out to Naruto and makes up an excuse. "Hey, my hands are…full. Pass Ahiru to me, would you?"

Sasuke takes one last sip of water, glancing at Sakura with a tired, skeptical stare. He sees right thorough her charade. Naruto, (the innocent fool that he was), shimmies past Sasuke and tugs on the unmoving food tray as he carefully avoids the toddler's chubby hands. She is impatient, after all, and wants to be picked up _now._

"I know, I'm trying," Naruto whispers to the baby while wiggling a plastic joint. It doesn't budge in the least. Was all this baby shit difficult? Man, he really needed to figure this stuff out. He sighs, unafraid to admit defeat. "Sakura, how do you open this thing? Help me out."

She blanches, because she had _no_ idea.

But Sasuke was her knight in dull, black armor. Expertly he unhinges the tray and, to everyone's surprise, takes the infant into his arms without hesitation. He presses Ahiru flat against his chest to calm her annoyed whimpers expertly.

"Let's go,"

Sakura was pretty sure she was going to feint today. So much was happening, and it was _all_ strange.

"Oh, Sasuke," Hinata calls. "Shall I prepare the spare bedroom for you, again?"

"No," Sasuke replies, and looks down at Sakura with an unabashed gaze.

Yep, for sure she was going to feint.

They walk together in silence, watching through Ahiru's eyes as the world around them comes into focus. The little girl notices every leaf that flutters along the sidewalk and every cackling bird that chants its goodnight calls. The stars are slowly starting to arrive, sprinkling along the darkening sky. It smells of winter, but the air isn't unbearably cold.

There's a splash in the distance that causes the baby to whip her head around.

"Oh, look Ahiru!" Sakura says, touching her soft hand. "There's a pond. Do you want to look at the fish?"

Sasuke hands the girl to Sakura and takes the diaper bag in return. They tread slowly towards the glinting water as a koi breaks the surface and sloshes, causing Ahiru to laugh and clap her hands.

She's found where the noise has come from. It's been a good day, for a 10-month-old.

The woman sits by a bench and beckons to Sasuke. "Take that blanket out, please? She can play by the grass for a bit."

He does as told, surprisingly, and Ahiru finds her place on the minky cloth with excitement. Sakura watches the fishpond expressionlessly as more koi flitter in and out of view, capturing bugs that dare to land on the brim. Sasuke is uncomfortable keeping his eyes off of the baby—especially so close to _water_ , so she holds his attention. Any other time, Sakura would be his preferred choice.

"These last few months have been crazy, haven't they?"

She should know by now that Sasuke didn't care for small talk. "Ah."

But, that was alright. Sakura didn't speak to fill space. She spoke simply because she wanted to.

She turns just as Ahiru places a rock into Sasuke's hand with a toothless grin. He rolls the pebble around for a moment, and rears back to chunk it into the pond. Sakura's hand stops him.

"You can't throw that away. She picked it out especially for you."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm supposed to accept just any old rock she gives me?"

"It's not just _any_ rock." Sakura replies. "It's one she picked especially for you."

He looks at the stone. It's nothing special, of course. It's not even the subtly, _beauty is in the eye of the beholder_ , kind of pretty. Honestly, it may be just a stray piece of concrete from the bench they sat on; useless, gray, and boring. He shakes his head, finding no need for such a silly thing, and wedges it between Sakura's curled fingers.

"What, so I'm just supposed to accept just any old rock you give me?" She mocks with a dramatic eye roll. She even deepens her voice to mimic Sasuke's.

Sasuke leans forwards then, bracing his elbows on his knees. A sentence pops into his head, and it's a bit too flirty and silly to say aloud. But around Sakura, Sasuke finds that he has no need for walls anymore. So, with an upturn of his lip, he asks: "Would you prefer a diamond, then?"

She sputters like broth had gone down the wrong pipe again. Her skin is three shades redder, growing hot from Sasuke's tease, and Sasuke wonders if Hojo could get her that embarrassed.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Sakura, however, doesn't think she can handle an answer. She rushes over to Ahiru, and gathers her while simultaneously shaking out the blanket. Finding her words, and the perfect excuse, she retorts: "I-Idiot, let's go home already. The mosquitoes are out."

She walks off ahead, but pauses momentarily. A moment like this would probably never come up again in her life. Sakura has told him of her love and admiration on many occasions, but nothing like this had ever...

Throwing her hair over her shoulder, she calls out to him."If you're really wondering, this is good enough. So, I'll accept."

She slips the stone into her pocket and continues, too frantic to look back and see his expression.

Funny, proposing always seemed like it would be harder than that.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thank you to everyone that follows along! I hope this is fluffy enough for you! Sasuke's broken down and now all that's left is for Sakura to take notice! How adorable. I really hope you liked this!**

 **I ended up finishing this chapter earlier than I thought I would. I'm trying to allow myself at least five days between chapters, I don't want them to seem rushed, so sorry if it feels that way!**

 **Also, I'm not sure how many chapters this story will be. I'm thinking...45-ish? But don't hold me to it. I have SO MUCH I want to get out BEFORE the final exam is here, and I'm really running out of time! Thanks for following along with me and shoot me a message if you notice my mistakes. (There are mistakes, I know. I try my best to catch them!)**

 **So, what did you think of Amu's reasoning? Slowly the loose ends are being tied! Stay with me-we still have to figure out how in the hell Sasuke looses his arm again, how Sarada comes into this, and if Sakura knows she just accepted Sasuke's proposal XD. Oh, and let's get rid of Hojo, QUICK.**

 **SasuSakuBaby scenes are inbound! And, what are they going to do when Ahiru gets picked up so late at night/early in the morning later? Hmm?**

 **Big shout out to every single one of my reviewers. I have never had the pleasure of experiencing so much kindness from pure strangers. It means more to me than you'll ever know. Bless you all.**


	35. Chapter 35: He would wait for her

Chapter 35: He would wait for her.

Sakura opens the door and Sasuke deposits the overstuffed bag by his shoes. As always, the place smells of strange, feminine things. This evening it's a delicate, white floral perfume that doesn't make his head ache for once.

Sasuke pauses briefly, wondering when he'd started to find comfort in the scents of her home, and not the rugged odors of morning dew and freshwater breezes. In fact, it worries him.

Would he lie awake at night, reminiscing these aromas that had suddenly turned nostalgic?

"Pass me a diaper, and some wipes?" Sakura asks as he takes off his coat.

He hands her the items and watches as she stretches out on the floor of her living room, gently guiding the 10-month-old onto her back. Before she can get everything situated though, the phone rings. She looks up at him with an annoyed face.

"Do you mind answer—oh, no, wait. What if it's my mom? It's late; she wouldn't like to hear a man on the phone." The woman moves to stand. "Can you watch her for me?"

Sasuke sits on the floor and folds the diaper out in front of him. Before Sakura can even get to the phone, the midnight-haired man has already removed the soiled bottom and fitted a new one on without pause. Ahiru hadn't even had the chance to protest. Even Hojo wasn't that good!

"Hello…Mom?" _Thank god I answered._

As she speaks, Ahiru crawls away from Sasuke and towards the couch, ready to jump around and enjoy her newfound freedom. She was a simple child, and an advanced one, too.

"Hm…I can't in the morning, I'm babysitting. Her mother won't get off work until later tonight. What about dinner instead of breakfast?" She pauses, waiting for her mother to finish speaking. "Sounds good, I'll see you in the late afternoon."

Sakura says a rushed goodbye and makes her way to the coffee table, stepping over Sasuke as she grabs the TV remote. She figured camping out in here would be better (and safer) than anywhere else in her home. She had hidden kunai and various weaponries stuffed in the strangest of places. Besides, babies and carpet seemed to fit well together.

Before she can reach her sofa, she feels a gentle pressure on her calf. She looks down and Sasuke looks up, tugging softly on the hem of her fitted capris.

He says nothing as he guides her between his legs, ignoring her unhidden intake of breath. Her back slides along his front and Sasuke raises his knees, cradling Sakura fully between his knees.

Sasuke takes the remote from her because she's dazed and unmoving. Who wouldn't be? Never in a million years would she have thought of this situation—babysitting next to Sasuke Uchiha, the ex-missing-nin.

Sakura is very conscious of her pressure against him. Was she too heavy? She leans forwards, unlatching from his heat.

Sasuke stops flicking through the channels when Joruri's round face and red hair flash on the screen. He's a familiar man—a loudmouth know-it-all, and someone who told it like it was.

"You heard it here first, folks! Next Wednesday will be the big day! Five more days until the end of the exams! Call us and cast your bets—will _all three_ Sannin pass? Who will be pitted against whom? What does Lord Hokage have in mind?"

"What _does_ he have in mind?" Sakura mumbles. She's suddenly enmeshed in the programming before her. "It's not going to be more robot stuff, is it?"

Sasuke isn't worried about the TV, though. He's pulls her back against him and lets out a quick "Hm". It rumbles along his chest so deeply Sakura can feel it against her spine. She's very responsive to it all. Her heartrate picks up and pink dusts her cheeks, all the way to her shoulders.

When he speaks, his hot breath tickles her neck. "Kakashi wouldn't tell me."

"Not even for his favorite student, eh?"

She feels the air he blows from his nostrils in a mock chortle, and her body reacts accordingly. It was chemical, natural. Why was he so addicting? If it were anyone else breathing on her, she'd have a fit. But, there was something about Sasuke that made it…different..

He was unattainable, reserved—something she's always wanted, but could never have. For now, she was limited to his slow lapses in judgment, and Sakura savored everything offered.

"He only trained me because of my doujutsu."

She turns and skims her cheek along his nose. While she stumbles over her forgotten words, she notices that his eyes drop briefly to her mouth. Sakura can only think of pushing him farther— _breaking him._ She's caught in a catch-22, a battle of morality and her own physical wants.

Karin had said that Sasuke's receptors were flipped. That meant falling in love would be a painful, confusing task. The revelation breaks Sakura's heart clean in two. She knew of her feelings and unconditional amity from such a young age. It had happened so easily, so suddenly that she really hadn't noticed until it was too late. Falling in love would never be that simple for him.

Her lips tremble, because she was still just a teenager, and her physical wants were trumping her morality. It made her feel weak and powerful all at the same time.

They were _both_ teenagers. Sure, they'd killed people, for various reasons (be it duty, or hindrance). And yeah, they'd been thrust into adulthood quicker than most. But, they savored the meaningless touches and the harmless foreplay nonetheless. It was a different kind of thrill.

They both had a lot to make up for.

She looks at him and sees all of his flaws and perfections. Though not much time has passed, it seems like she's been with Sasuke for an eternity. Being around him doesn't make her feel like a giggling fool anymore, though she did have her bouts. She's progressed exponentially with him. His walls weren't so high, and her confidence wasn't so weak.

Maybe when he left, they could write to each other.

Maybe, when she looked up at the moon they shared, he would start to think of her, too.

As if he can sense her thoughts, he looks into her eyes only the way Sasuke can. They are in their own moment, their own world—if only briefly.

Sakura feels a tug on her shirt and looks down through blurry eyes to see Ahiru. The little girl crawls between them and curls into the warmth, yawning deeply.

"I guess it's her bedtime, huh?"

He doesn't reply. His eyes become hazed, dancing between Sakura's emeralds and the chubby baby between them. She can almost see the cogs working in his mind—the "What would it be like to have this, some day?" and it's too much for Sakura to handle.

With the child on Sasuke's lap, Sakura stands, making her way to the entertainment center. Most of her films were documentaries and cheesy romances—neither seemed to suit the mood of tonight. "Would you like to watch something?"

She doesn't wait for him to reply. She had to settle her morose thoughts. Choosing one of Naruto's DVDS's, the woman pops it into the tray and toes her way back to the two.

She pauses for a moment, looking at the lulling child sprawled out on Sasuke's broad sternum. He looked so masculine, so _relaxed_ in the presence of pure innocence. He would be a great father, for sure. He deserved the happiness—the moment—with his own offspring.

That would never happen with _Sakura._

Sakura pulls her afghan off of the couch and sits down, as far away from him as possible. Her judgment was obscured by her lust, like always. Sasuke, however, doesn't give her the option of peaceful ignorance. Instead, he slides up next to her and leans into the sofa, tugging her bare legs upon his own. Together, they shift under the knit blanket, making sure the baby's ten fingers and ten toes are completely covered.

Sakura feels like it's all a dream, especially when Sasuke's hand spreads out over her upper thigh without hesitation. If she lets herself drift away from reality, she could almost believe a moment like this could be in her future.

One day, she would come home to her husband's arms and fall into his embrace as their child slept peacefully beside them.

She imagines making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, healing boo-boo's and reading bedtime stories. She thinks of pink hair and black eyes and freckled cheeks and chubby fingers.

And yet, Sakura could not have children.

She pulls away, suddenly feeling bitter. Instead of maternal things, Sakura is inundated with loneliness. She sees Ino in her wedding dress, and Naruto's fist child running up to her knee screaming for her auntie, and everyone else with swollen bellies and bright cheeks and **happy little families**.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" She says, covering her emotions well, though she felt as if she were suffocating. "I won't be long."

Sasuke nods his head, already zoned into the action-packed beginning of the film. With a fleeting look towards the sleeping doll, Sakura untangles herself and runs into the bathroom.

Anger fills her.

The woman turns on the tap and adjusts it to just below scalding. As it heats up, she looks at her reflection, ready to see the immature body that always glared back.

The gods seemed to have shined down on her today, however.

It was not the boyish figure of a child that Sakura greeted. Instead, it was…a curvaceous woman, with angled cheeks and stunning, soapy-green eyes. Her skin glowed—not a tan color, but a shining peach.

She runs her fingers down the slowly vanishing bruises from Sasuke's canines, savoring the look and the feel and the texture, craving the imperfection. Oh, how she wanted to see it along every inch of flesh.

She undresses, and under the steam and the lava-like spray from her faucet, Sakura lets her nails bite into the scar on her abdomen. Her teeth gnaw at her inner cheek until she tastes the copper of her own blood.

She would never be his. Not in this body.

Sasuke brushes his hair out of his eyes as an explosion rocks Sakura's sound system. The baby wakes briefly, looking around the room unsuccessfully for her mother. She'd slept soundly throughout most of the scenes, and it was surprising, because the movie was pretty brutal. Vaguely Sasuke notices that the end was near.

Sakura had been gone one…almost two hours.

He adjusts Ahiru and bounces her back into slumber, exhaling a relived sigh as she drifts. Sasuke doesn't have much time to worry about his teammate, because he's drawn to the front door. A tap echoes around the room moments later.

"Come in," Sasuke says, hoping it's loud enough for the guest to hear.

Hojo steps into the foyer and scans the room quickly, undoubtedly looking for his girlfriend. He doesn't bother addressing Sasuke. Instead, he heads towards the various supplies strewn around the living room. The girl has gone through an entire bottle, and two diaper changes, and Sasuke wasn't too worried about keeping the place clean.

"Where's Sakura?"

"Shower," Sasuke says curtly.

There's heaviness between them.

Sasuke knows nothing of this man, or what his intentions were. He doesn't like his casual touches that deny his personality—he stuttered and stumbled over his words, but held his hand to Sakura's lower back so steadily. Sasuke's eyes saw everything, and they certainly saw right though Yuma Hojo.

He stands and passes the infant to Hojo. Shifting down low, the man grabs Ahiru's satchel and flings it over his shoulder, as if it weighed a ton. "Will you tell Sakura that Amu appreciates this?"

"Why didn't Amu tell her?" Sasuke asks. It was a normal question, but one with a hidden meaning underneath. _Why are you here, and not your sister?_

As if he'd been caught, Hojo's eyebrows turn upwards and his lips purse. "It's starting to sprinkle, so I told her I'd grab Ahiru."

He was dressed in his night clothing: blue thermals, a clingy top, and a strange, fake perfume that wafted off of his body like a miasma. Sasuke scoffs internally at the absurd excuse.

"Next time, leave her for night." Somehow, the remark ends up sounding like a warning—or perhaps, a _heavy_ suggestion. Sasuke had that way about him, a dominance that could exude from the plainest of phrases.

Hojo doesn't hesitate or search for his words in The Uchiha's presence. This confirms Sasuke's intuition. It seemed he wasn't some bubbly, loveable buffoon after all.

"It's fine." There's a brief pause. "I'll probably just stay the night _, next time_."

Sasuke doesn't get mad at this retort. Instead, he crosses his arms and sighs. His _Rinnegan_ glows a purple hue, looking intimidating and foreign (for good reason).

Before he can speak, and usher Hojo out, the sound of the running shower fills the room. The movie has ended, and the soft music intermingles with the rain-like pour that falls over the nude woman's body two rooms away.

With a wolfish, smoky lethargy, Sasuke rubs the back of his neck and turns towards the hallway. He's calm and blasé about his words, but knows that they'll tear Hojo down a few pegs.

"Better luck "next time", then."

The door slams after a moment, and Sasuke makes his way towards Sakura.

* * *

Sakura doesn't turn her head when she hears Sasuke tap at the door. Steam has stopped swirling now that the water ran cold. She looks at her thighs as she lies in the tub, letting the liquid run over her body like it belonged to a tepid, summer rain. Her skin is shriveled, and the tips of her fingertips started to turn white.

"That guy took that baby."

She smiles halfheartedly at Sasuke's muffled voice _._ The woman opens her mouth, letting the sprinkles fill the crevice so she can spit out the metallic taste. Once rinsing, she says, "I'll be out in a—" But, her voice breaks, and she cannot finish her sentence.

Her heart was hurting. The Tea Rose sends her strongest healing chakra to the scar just above her hipbone, trying to rebuild what could not be fixed. She lets out a frustrated groan that turns into a sob before she has the chance to stop it.

She'd been holding it all in too long, it seemed. She couldn't be strong forever.

As if a flood gate has broken, hot tears spill out of her eyes and mingle with the artificial drizzle produced by her showerhead. She supposed that's what she always enjoyed about "rain". You couldn't see if someone was truly crying.

Sasuke opens the door without permission or hesitation. He doesn't ask why she's lying down in the tub or why she bothers to stay in there if the water was making her shake. Making no comment, the man turns off the tap and pulls a towel off of the holder.

She lets Sasuke wipe her skin with the barrier between them. Mechanically, Sakura leans forwards as he dries her hair and back, then her chest, and finally along the length of her legs. The droplets leave her freshly shaven skin quickly.

Rubbing her eyes, she says: "I must look pitiful."

Sasuke is on his knees in front of her. When he looks up, the fevered skin around the blemish on her belly catches his eye. The spot where she'd been impaled shines, like a new layer has been created. Sakura was a healer—an excellent one, at that. But Sasuke is an Uchiha, and **his eyes see all**.

He presses his lips to the discolored mark, sinking into the dampness of her flesh. Sakura's not sure if the scar tissue is just sensitive, or if her reaction to all of Sasuke's touches will be to throw her head back in embarrassed liking. Either way, she leans into his touch, savoring him, because he is a fleeting man that rarely shows such compassion.

Sternly, he replies. "You don't look pitiful."

Sasuke doesn't ask what is wrong. Not because he didn't care, or because he wasn't curious; but because he's been on the receiving end of sadness before. He never cared for tender, sorrowful eyes and words. Sakura the type that wore her heart on her sleeve, and in due time, Sasuke would know of her inner suffering. He would wait until she was ready.

He would wait for her, forever.

Carefully he stands and wraps her toned form in the towel, snugly. She's to his shoulders now that she's in the tub, and for once he doesn't have to dip his head low to look at her. Only the tips of her hair are moist, and they stick to her cheeks like spider webs.

 _Porcelain,_ he thinks; because she looks fragile and beautiful all at the same time. Porcelain was more than that, though. Porcelain deters high-voltage electricity, is hard enough to protect from the harshest of weather—sterile and heat-resistant—both gorgeous and durable simultaneously. There wasn't another word he could come up with that described this woman, looking up tragically at him.

She was so perfectly imperfect.

Sakura's heart thrummed painfully in her chest as they held each other's gaze. Lethargy clung heavily upon her shoulders. With the weakest voice she's ever heard, Sakura says: "I just want to go to bed."

Her hand is cold in his, and she's drawn to his balminess. As if reading her mind, Sasuke cocoons her into his arms, lifting her gently over the edge of the bath. It's a rather intimate gesture, and unlike Sasuke at all, but Sakura immerses herself in it, in him. Her teammate has always smelled like thunderstorms and masculinity. There was not a candle in the world that could match it.

Sasuke carries her to her bedroom.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thanks for waiting for me! I had Thanksgiving dinner five times, and I traveled for four days with my 19-month-old and my fiance! I'm one tired Momma.**

 **I'm so happy that all of you waited patiently! Sorry again for the late update. This chapter was around 8,000 words long, so I split it in two and you're gonna get a...lemon, in the next one! I'll double-post just because I'm so thankful to all of you!**

 **This was about as good as I could get jealous Sasuke. He'll show up once more, for sure that I know of. Stay tuned, we haven't gotten much longer-and we have SOOO much to cover. And, not sure if I've said this ENOUGH, but Sarada will come into this, just like canon. So have a little faith!**

 **Let me know how you liked it, okay?**


	36. Chapter 36: Their own language

Chapter 36: Their own language.

Sakura feels silly, like a stupid little girl, because…because it's almost like she's his **bride** as he steps over the threshold to her cove. In the back of her mind, she thinks of Sasuke poking her head when he left the village. If she closes her eyes tightly, and lets her cognizance stray, she can pretend that he asked her to be his girlfriend on that day.

And earlier, when he gave her that pebble still sitting in the pocket of her Capri pants, abandoned in the bathroom, that was his proposal. Sasuke was a simple man after all, and neither cared about trivial things like formalities or tradition or political correctness.

Now, it's their wedding night. (She almost giggles at her idiocy.)

Sakura remembers her mother embarrassingly explaining "the birds and the bees" to her. Things like "hymen" and "pain" and "giving yourself fully" in the name of love. It all confused her, and angered her a bit too. Somehow, she never pictured herself in white lace, even as a girl. She never pictured being quiet and compliant and cast upon a bed of freshly picked flowers as her veil fell to the floor.

Of course, she never pictured _much_ until puberty, and at that time Sasuke Uchiha was all that was on her mind. It was almost impossible to think of him doing any more than…

Her face heats and she curses her lewd train of thought.

Darkness surrounds the two as they enter completely. The fan is on, though it's cold outside, and the chill makes her nude flesh bumpy. Sasuke turns away once setting her down, even though he cannot see properly. She appreciates the sentiment and chivalry as she pulls on the only pajama set in her dresser drawer—an oversized, fleece nightgown. The sleeves are long and the hem reaches her ankles. Sakura looks absolutely frumpy, and a bit too flushed.

It was respectable though.

Sasuke scratches the back of his head, waiting for her to say something to let him know she was dressed.

All she can think about in this intimate space with him is _consummation_. Maybe it was awful of her—wanting to be with him in this way, even though she could not ever fulfill him, or help with his dream of an Uchiha restoration. She remembers delving through his family history after weeks of begging Lady Tsunade.

Sakura had no idea how important his clan was. She came across ancient laws and traditions and rules—things like, how Uchiha's were always to be respected and held high. How the women could choose to battle regardless of their husbands wishes. How Uchiha's could wed in private with the clan elders permission, regardless of the Hokage's approval.

Of course Sasuke would want to carry on his lineage.

With slow, dainty steps, she comes up behind him and wraps her arms around his narrow waist. Sasuke turns with her still attached, a bit surprised at the bold affections. This girl had always been the hugging type, hadn't she?

He can't see much, which is annoying, but his hands find her cheeks out of muscle memory. The feel of her was mesmerizing and strangely wistful. As he brushes her flesh, and smooths down her wild locks, he thinks of Hojo. Her dumb, fake-acting, moron of a boyfriend, who pretends to be clumsy and touches her lower back and invites himself over under the guise of "good uncle" just to have a few more minutes with Sakura Haruno.

And yet, her boyfriend isn't here with her. Her boyfriend isn't cradling her face, blowing his hot outbreath over her face, kissing her like _Sasuke_ does. And he wouldn't ever get to. This was something belonged to only _them._

Sasuke's mouth was comforting, in the way that that his words could never be. Sakura understood that he wasn't expressive, and that his actions spoke louder than any string of sentences could. While he and Naruto could communicate with fist on fist, he and Sakura had their own language.

My, how they enjoyed to speak it.

His hand drifts do her hip, pulling her closer into his heat. Though the fabric of her gown was thick, she could feel all of Sasuke's perfections—his sculpted chest, the ridges of his abdominals, the deep "v" of his Adonis belt. He was rough and conditioned to a life of killing and conflict.

Tentatively her hands flatten over his middle as he deepens their contact. Every time Sakura tasted him, it was different. This time in particular, Sasuke was like tea; earthy and herbal. How much would she have to kiss him to turn a full circle—to experience all the flavors he had to give?

"Stay with me," She commands.

 _Stay with me tonight, and tomorrow, and forever._

Sasuke knows what she is asking.

"I can't," He responds, but his body does not heed his words. He walks Sakura backwards until her calves touch the edge of her bed.

 _We can't do this._

She trembles and closes her eyes, pressing petal-like lips into his. It's not chaste. It's not _delicate_ and _smooth_ and _sweet_ and _pure_. Sakura lets her tongue slip past his teeth, hoping he feels how much she wants him right now…wants _it._

Boldly, the woman pulls him on top of her, and his head spins as she bypasses the fabric of his shirt and runs her nails gently over his entire torso. Without asking permission, Sakura yanks his top over his head.

"We can't do this, Sakura."

Yet, he gathers her nightdress to the peak of her thighs. Her skin is velveteen under his rough palms—suave, delicious, _and addicting_. Sasuke relishes the feeling, caressing her flesh like he'd never get to again.

Maybe he wouldn't.

Maybe Hojo would make her fall in love, and take her as his wife, and they'd have children of their own and—

"I'll kill him." Sasuke whispers into her ear abruptly.

His rage starts to spike. This man would do everything in his power to make sure Sakura was happy—to make sure she got every goddamn thing she ever wanted and needed. He would move mountains for this girl.

If Sakura gave the word, he wouldn't even hesitate.

"If he hurts you, I'll kill him."

"Who?" Sakura pulls away and her head twirls from the lack of traction. She wishes she could see more of him than his luminescent _Rinnegan_ , but it wouldn't do much anyways. He was so hard to read, to understand.

"Your boyfriend," He explains, trailing dangerously close to her pelvic bone. Sasuke wasn't afraid of danger, though. "Anyone—I won't let anyone hurt you."

Sasuke wouldn't say he was jealous. Jealousy involved envy, and he certainly didn't envy that brown-headed fucker right now. _What's there to covet?_ Sasuke asks himself as he raises Sakura up. _I've got her._

His _Sharingan_ is blazing, looking at her on a molecular level. He can see the rise and fall of her sternum, the tremble of her lips, the flecks emerald and yellow and minty-green that sparkle in her eyes. But this is not enough.

Without the slightest bit of hesitance, Sasuke undresses he woman beneath him and throws the pajama set behind him, unworried about where it may land. She gasps at his forwardness, trying to find the right words to say. So many things pirouette within her, but her availability seems to take precedence. "Sasuke, he's—"

Sasuke takes her mouth harshly. This doesn't have anything to do with Hojo. This doesn't have anything to do with risqué geisha's with sharp fingernails and demonic eyes.

It's Sasuke and Sakura now.

Milky skin taunts him, and the freckle that guarded the valley of her breasts pleaded for his hand. He backs away, letting his _Sharingan_ follow line that starts from just below the center of her ribcage and ends right above the tiniest, _tastiest_ bellybutton he'd ever seen in his entire life. Pink curls taper off between thick thighs, begging for his pressure.

When his hot lips starts to trace the length of her upper body, along with his tongue, Sakura squeezes her legs shut and tries to fight off the anxiety. It feels like she's in a foggy, smoke-filled room. It's hard to breathe.

"I'm scared," She admits softly. "Nervous, really…"

She's not frightened of Sasuke, or even the pain. She's scared of where this will leave them if they continue. Does he expect a child from this? Would he find her disgusting if she told him the truth—like suddenly being unfruitful made her less of a woman? Was he going to take her out of pity?

Sasuke sits up, curious of her strange reaction. He watches as she covers herself bashfully and bends so that he's hidden from her most private of areas. Her chest rises with determination. She sucks in the humid oxygen around her, finally making her choice.

"I don't want to be a pity fuck." _I refuse to be a regret._

She looks at him with a different brightness and hostility. This woman never ceased to amaze him (and piss him off, too).

"Turn around," Sasuke commands with a threatening and mannish hiss. He doesn't even give her a chance to do it herself, because in one strong heave he's pressing her front into the blankets, whispering sensually into the shell of her ear. "I'm not fucking you."

He makes his own choice, too. Sasuke decides, all on his own, that he would only belong to Sakura. Sasuke is the elder of his clan, and under Konoha Law, he can marry without the permission of the Hokage. There were loopholes and clauses within this, but it didn't matter.

Sasuke was Sakura's, now.

When—if—Sakura decided she'd had enough of Hojo, or whatever lover she accompanies as the years progress, Sasuke would be there to take her away and hide the bodies (metaphorically speaking).

 _…_ _Or not…_

He's happy that she can't see him right now, because his sudden declaration did a number on his expression.

Sasuke hates feeling like a blushing fool around her, so he buries his face in the nape of her neck. Sensually he travels down her spine, dotting kisses to the dips and curves of her lower back. His hands massage the knots of her shoulders and the space between, all the while nipping at tender flesh.

He couldn't quite understand his need to sink his teeth into her. Maybe it was her physical reaction—the way her mouth mewled and her back arched and her fingers curled into the duvet. Or, maybe it was a weakness that belonged only to him. Sakura was his drug, after all.

He leans to the side and forces her to do the same, lifting her chest and belly off the mattress so more of her was exposed. His fingertips play with the swells of her breasts, the mounds of her nipples, gliding down to her ticklish navel and finally, the top of her womanhood. Sakura whips upwards, but Sasuke is elite. He dodges the unintended head-butt and keeps his hand firmly in place.

"I don't think I can handle—ah—"

"You can," He says before she can finish speaking. Sakura has never heard this sound from him. His voice is heavy with sex—with lust and desire and passion.

But he didn't understand! The most she'd had in contact with her vagina was no-nonsense cleaning and the outside stickiness from her occasional wet dreams. Now, she wished she'd listened to Ino's embarrassing prying about "practice", because she had no idea what to expect.

Might as well go ahead and cop up to it. "No, I mean I-I've never been fing—"

"Sakura," He interrupts with a calm tenderness. With his right hand buried between her thighs, Sasuke uses his left to turn her chin towards him. It's like they're in the heat of a battle again, and it is Sasuke and Sakura against an unknown enemy.

 _I'll protect you. Don't worry. Use me. Trust me._

Pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth, he speaks in undertone. "Trust me,"

It's like a bell chimes in her head. She did trust him, with every inch of her being. Just like that, Sakura spreads her legs to him, because she was not afraid. Because if there was _anyone_ that she'd give herself to, it would be Sasuke Uchiha. For the first time in her life, Sakura lets a man touch her most private of areas.

For the first time in her life, Sakura gives herself away.

 _O…oh…_

She's wet beneath the pads of his fingers. He works the top of her carefully, biting down on her throbbing jugular as she arches her back, pushing into his own throbbing center. She is…syrupy, and it's unfamiliar to him, but his body reacts accordingly.

She can feel him against her neck, panting with eyes squeezed shut so his focus remains on her unexplored sex. His fingers move in little circles, making water drizzle from between her eyelashes.

Her moans waft around the room and pressure builds within her core. Sakura isn't sure how many times she's said his name. He seems to enjoy it, because every time the syllables press through her clenched teeth he goes _faster_ and Sasuke's lips curl into a seductive smile.

This feeling was different from anything else before. Instead of one measly marble in her inner jar conveniently labeled "ecstasy", Sasuke filled the damned thing to the _brim_. She was shaking, rebounding as the glass container spun madly.

"Don't cum," he tells her, even though he picks up the pace.

"How do I stop it?" She responds, shutting her eyes so tightly that flecks of white spot around her vision. Sakura sucks on her bottom lip, keeping the orgasm at bay.

Suddenly she's on her back again, and after a quick but powerful kiss to her swollen lips, Sasuke takes the tip of her breast into his mouth and grazes it with his teeth. She slams her hips upwards into his thickness as her body naturally rocks up the length of _it_.

Their heads are spinning as they let their bodies respond to one another. Sasuke grips her hips tightly with both hands, gliding her back down his girth as he moves to her other nipple.

"You're big," She says unabashedly. Her mind feels…carbonated. Embarrassment has long been forgotten, and it leaves room for other things to pop around her consciousness. Things like: _How is this going to fit_ _ **inside**_ _of me?_

"Don't worry about it," He retorts, and he walks his wet fingertips farther and farther down her torso. She watches as though her body does not belong to her. But, as those thoughts explode in her brain and his hand travels lower, Sakura closes her legs tightly.

It was easier to be bold when his purple and red eyes weren't piercing right through her! A blush stains the bridge of her nose and her face scrunches up in reaction to her increased heartrate.

"Open," He calls, and he wedges her knees apart with his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She asks, giving into his pressure. Sasuke slides his forearm under her bottom and lifts it up, staring at her essence for a long, squeal-inducing moment. More than anything she wants to squirm away from his _Rinnegan/Sharingan_ , but there's no way she's running.

Sasuke feels the trepidation. Trying to calm her, he dances his palms over her silky skin so she'll expose herself completely. He wants to see everything, in every detail. Leaning in closer, his lips press a tantalizing kiss to her inner thigh.

Sakura relaxes, just a bit.

With an unhurried lethargy, he makes his way down the length of her, tasting the dew of her middle. She's like this because of him, and Sasuke feels nothing but pride in that statement. Sakura's wet for _him._ Sakura wants only _him._

Finally, he kisses her _there._ Her hands tangle in his hair and she impulses, shutting her legs forcefully though they can't completely close. The feeling is foreign and provocative all at the same time.

Sasuke tastes her completely, flattening his tongue out and sliding it over the most sensitive area of her body. He's warm and wet, moving in rhythmic patterns to the beat of Sakura's tempo. Each buck sends more pressure to that certain _spot_ , and his fingernails bite into her ass and stomach as he pulls her closer towards him.

He's never been one to enjoy sweets—Sasuke didn't like candy and sugar or anything of the sort. But for some reason, all he can think about is _caramel;_ gooey, delicious, _hot._

He lifts his head up momentarily. Sasuke drifts over her tummy, past each breast, and finally along her jaw. His eyes take in everything as he traces his middle and ring finger around her plump, bruised lips.

"Taste." He instructs.

She opens her mouth and takes in the appendages, letting her tongue slide over the minuscule ridges along the pads. His left hand is holding her hip while he continues, eating her creamily. When his mouth hits her jewel again, she wraps her tongue around his middle knuckle and moves her head back and forth like she's between his legs, too.

Sasuke decides he can't hold off much longer. The man moves his wet fingers from her mouth and stops just above her pale, pink pubes. She knows what's coming, but not what to expect.

"Is it going to hurt?" She asks.

He doesn't know, honestly. He's never been with a virgin before. Sex was never like this—he wasn't slow and sweet and gentle with his touches. Sasuke had never devoured a woman.

They were both in new waters—he was the man-eating fish, and she was the diver dangling her feet above the ocean. Sasuke can only think of one thing to calm himself in this moment. It's the only thing that mattered before he hurt her, every time.

Sasuke looks up at her, and Sakura's never seen such a genuine expression. "Tell me what you told me when I left the village at thirteen."

…What had she told him?

He continues, never wavering. "Tell me what you said before I put you in my genjutsu after the war. Tell me what you said before the second part of the exam."

What does he want from her?

"Tell me," he whispers, running his damp knuckle along the outside of her sex. "Sakura, tell me that you love me."

"I love you, Sasuke—" She hisses the phrase as he enters her. It's one finger at first, and then two into her core, stretching her in a way she's never experienced. It is so mind numbing that she can't even hear her own voice anymore, but she knows what she's saying. _I love you, I love you, I love you…_

After all of this, thank God that it doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt at all. She was expecting a sting or at least a sharp jolt—perhaps a pinch or a scratch or something of the sort. Instead she wants _more._ It's simply not enough.

His palm hits the top of her, teasing the hidden pearl as he moves _inside_. She bends her hips, trying unsuccessfully to be filled. There's a bubble within that his pumping fingers are about to burst. After a few more minutes of his slow cadence, she gives in. Sakura doesn't want hands or lips or tongues anymore. She wants _him;_ all of him.

"Take me," she gasps. "I love you, just take me already,"

He removes his fingers from within her and she watches as he pulls his pants down, exposing his manhood almost immediately. Sasuke doesn't want to wait anymore either.

Sakura can't keep her eyes off him—he's perfect in every way. The scars of his body tell the stories of his life. Each muscular outline was formed from years upon years of battle and training and torture, _torturetorturetorture._ She wants to heal the scarred-over wounds, though she knew it was impossible.

"Can I touch you?" She asks. She doesn't wait for an answer.

Her hand grips his width. Her thumb is just a few centimeters shy of touching her middle finger—which is _crazy_ , because she can wrap her hand around her wrist easily. It doesn't scare her like it probably should.

Licking her lips, Sakura slowly works her hand up and down and watches as he leans his head back. She goes faster, and faster, amazed at how he reacts to her pressure and temperature. It was as if she held the key to his livelihood.

Maybe, for most men, _she did._

"I love you Sasuke," She says, and he groans huskily from her words. It makes her smile—her heart is light and airy and she's proud that _her_ movements are making him behave this way.

But, Sakura's body feels empty. She wants Sasuke to take her over the edge.

Sakura lets go and falls into the duvet, opening herself entirely to him, no longer afraid of pain or proprieties. In this moment, they are man and woman—but they are not one, and it hurts her to her very soul.

Sasuke needs to touch base with her, first, before anything else happened. It was something that must be said aloud, for his own peace. He can pledge himself to Sakura, and be her husband throughout his travels without her ever knowing.

But, at least for the night, he needed her to promise _him._

"I want you to commit to me."

Sasuke didn't want _this_ to be regret, or an "accident", or the result of two horny teenagers that can't stop touching each other. Sasuke had no more room for repentances.

He can see her now. The moon has moved past the tree by her window, casting its beams on Sakura like the Goddess she was. Her silver flesh makes him weak. Sweat coats her skin, her hair is a mess, and she's…she's…she's so _bewitching_.

"If we do this," Sasuke begins, keeping his voice low. "I don't want to pretend it didn't happen."

"I couldn't, even if I tried."

Her response is immediate and oddly obligatory. Sasuke shakes his head, hoping she truly understands. "You have to promise me." He holds himself in his hand and teases her passage, gliding along her entrance.

It feels like she was missing out on this pressure since puberty. She wanted him so badly, so much. "I'm yours, Sasuke, so take me."

Moving gently, Sasuke adjusts her legs over his spread thighs. His hand reaches up to her face, fingers extended, and she starts to open her mouth to them once more.

But this time, Sasuke taps the diamond on her forehead lingeringly. He says what he always says, when he touches her this way.

 _You're important to me._

Sasuke starts to enter her, squeezing his eyes together so that his _Sharingan_ doesn't ruin the surprise of their movements. She feels so _good,_ so _flawless_ , and so _delectable_ he almost forgets to breathe.

Sasuke doesn't want any man to have her in this way. Never, ever like _this…_

Finally, he enters her.

Finally, they are one.

It feels like…like it's her birthday. It feels like she's been waiting—waiting and teasing herself and talking about it for _years_ and when it's finally here…when she opens the package and stares down at her gift, it's everything she's ever wanted.

Sasuke is smooth as he fills her, hitting the back of her center easily. His heat is trapped between her—inside of her—and everything is overly sensitive. As he thrusts, the woman feels her eyes start to roll back into her head from the power of it all. She is being stretched, but it's an addictive kind of hurt, and much better than his fingertips.

For Sasuke, it feels like he's right where he's supposed to be.

Home is not a warm bed and a familiar toothbrush and a roof over your head. Home is _here_ , between Sakura's legs as he rides her tides and makes her scream his name between lewd confessions. She tightens around him and digs her nails into his neck, sliding them over his shoulder blades, peeling his skin.

It's wild between them as two bodies merge. Nothing else mattered in this moment. The sounds of their sex echo in each other's ears—Sakura can't stop _yelling_ , and Sasuke can't stop _drinking her in_.

The world could end, for all he cared. It was a dangerous type of romance.

She could even get preg…na…nt…

…Pregnant, with his child.

…Born from their lovemaking.

 _Holy shit…_

Suddenly, he cares, because he's not an idiot. He understands everything involved with taking care of a child—how difficult the tasks would be, especially if he continued his obligated missions through Konoha. Sasuke couldn't leave her with his baby. It wasn't the right time for kids. He couldn't be a good father—not now.

But, why did his heart battle against his head? Why did he want her to carry an Uchiha so badly? Is it because she looked _impeccable_ with a toddler on her hip?

"Pregnant," Sasuke says finally.

"Ah, Sasuke, wha…"

"What if I get you pregnant?"

Sakura curves against him, opening wider, wanting him to shatter her walls. They are thinking of similar things, though differently. "You won't."

"What if I do?" He huffs, leaning on his hand as he props her bottom up higher. _That's better._

"I can't, I—"

Before Sakura can finish her sentence, she loses control. It's as though she surrenders herself fully, letting bliss overflow from every corner of her body. Toes curling, head thrown back, hands squeezing his shoulders painfully, Sakura reaches her zenith. It's a mind-blowing orgasm—the kind she's never felt before, and before she can think properly she says: "It's alright, because I love you."

Sasuke hears her declaration and can't hold back anymore. Letting himself release, he reaches his peak and spreads his heat into the pressure of her clenching core. Suddenly, his heart feels like it's going to burst. Sasuke recognizes this heaviness—this pressure. It feels as though…as though his thoughts and his feelings and his _heart_ are all **truly** connected to Sakura.

He collapses on top of her, still inside, because his whole body is tingling and his arms can't support his weight anymore.

Hot tears spill from her eyes and wet his skin. He wants to fall from his high slowly, but it feels like he's been thrown into an icy ocean. He props himself on his elbow and grabs her face roughly—not enough to hurt, but enough to get his point across.

"I told you not to regret it."

And how could she? How could she be crying at a time like this, when all Sasuke could think about is how much he _fucking loved this woman_ and how it scared the absolute shit out of him, because he hasn't been this exposed in a, long, long time. If anyone found out how weak he was, in her arms…

How could she deny this?

"I don't." She forces the words out. "I don't regret anything, Sasuke. I'm afraid that _you_ will."

Sasuke kisses her again, setting her skeleton on fire. His lips were her salvation—the reason for her existence—everything she ever wanted and couldn't have. Sasuke made her feel like this could work out. Like they could do this every night, for the rest of their lives, and live a happy little life in a small cottage somewhere in a far off land where clans didn't matter.

Sakura couldn't have that, though. Not with him being the last of The Uchiha.

It was now or never. With his chest pressed tightly into her own, and her hands sending soothing chakra to the bleeding welts on his back, Sakura pulls away from his mouth and confesses.

"Sasuke, I…"

He looks at her. Brushing a rough thumb along a saltine droplet, Sasuke urges her to continue. He thinks of the million things she could say—"We can't do this. My boyfriend will find out. I don't really love you. You're not good enough."

Instead, she says: "I can't have children. I'm barren."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So, Sasuke's her husband now, and Sakura just confessed. We're getting down to the nitty-gritty, aren't we? I wonder...how will Sasuke react to this news? I had to leave a cliffhanger! My apologies.**

 **I hope you really enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope it gives off a "making love" vibe. Special thanks to Roo, who helps me with my dirty parts. I love the way she writes her lemon scenes, hehe. RalitsaR, you're the best! Thanks for everything.**

 **THANK YOU ANON REVIEWERS. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO MESSAGES ME ON TUMBLR OR DEVIANTART OR ON HERE. I love you all. I appreciate you all.**

 **As always, I know I make mistakes so if you catch them, private message me! Help me make this story great, I love to hear your opinions! I have a lot of awesome people that review, and I'm not very confident so I enjoy all opinions...**


	37. Chapter 37: Because they're in love

Chapter 37: Because they're in love.

Sakura's confession makes Sasuke remember his old life—his hidden memories.

He remembers watching the amazing jutsu Fugaku would teach Itachi over their family pond, hidden away in their large backyard. His eavesdropping picked up the unfamiliar hand signs: Horse, Tiger, Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger. Sasuke can still feel the anxiety of his impatience.

" _Dad's going to show me that, too. I just have to wait."_

Sasuke and his father weren't very close. Not in the way he and Itachi were. Time went on as it does, and months passed between them as they do. The water in the pond dipped from evaporation as Itachi's fire became too hot—too powerful, and Sasuke knew it would be his turn to learn soon enough.

It had to be.

Mikoto would practice with Sasuke across from her son and husband. She was a Jōnin, and was especially skilled in shurikenjutsu. They would rebound kunai off of each other as she taught him her hidden techniques. The sound of blazing fire mingled in with metal-on-metal—a typical Uchiha evening.

" _Hey, momma,"_

Mikoto had a calm smile and eyes that made you feel like you were the only person that mattered to her. She targeted her son, grinning as he lazily countered her weapon, and spoke to him in her motherly tone. " _Yes, darling?"_

 _"_ _If I had a younger sibling, would papa pay attention to me?"_

She listens intently, and thinks of the proper thing to say.

Mikoto was a strong woman, who cared and loved all three of _her_ boys. She understood them on different levels. Still, Mikoto was closer to their youngest, like her husband was closer to their eldest. The love was equal, but the bond was _different._

Her second pregnancy was a difficult one, and her wings spread just a bit farther over Sasuke. Fugaku's did too, but his compassion was harder to recognize.

Sasuke did not truly want another brother or sister. Mikoto understood this. He simply wanted to know why the bond was different. His question only confirmed her train of thought.

" _Why does he love Itachi more, anyways?"_

Mikoto balances her kunai on the tip of her finger. Her son clenches his hands and looks towards the pond with envy.

" _You father loves you both equally, Sasuke. He's not good at expressing his emotions."_ He turns to her as she continues. " _Itachi is the eldest; he has more of a burden to carry. No amount of children I have could change that…even_ _ **if**_ _I could have more."_

The last sentence intrigued the young child. He wasn't as smart as Shikamaru, or the pink-haired girl that always sat at the back of the class and hid behind her bangs. But Sasuke was intelligent in his own right, in his own way. He could read underneath the underneath.

Having children was what Uchiha's were meant to do. He'd heard it all of his life. **Be fruitful, build the clan**. It was all of the old men talked about, when his grandfather watched after him on rare occasion.

Sasuke had seen more babies than anyone could imagine. He held the screaming things and smiled in photos until his cheeks burned and his eyes watered. Diaper changes, baths in the sink, playing in the park…children were so important to his people.

When he was a man, it would be his duty to make them. Wasn't that _her_ duty, as a woman?

" _You're useless to father now?"_ He asks, scrunching up his nose as he remembered his grandpa's words. _"That's what Pa says. You're useless if you can't have babies."_

Sasuke's words, as innocent as they may be, shock Mikoto. Her head spins as she tries to find her voice. They were surrounded by traditional people—people who only thought of women as homemakers, and producers, and walking wombs.

Mikoto was nothing of the sort.

She made top marks in her classes, and completed all of her missions. She beat every opponent, big and small. People called her a prodigy, a _genius._ Her prowess had caught the attention of a certain square-jawed, brown-haired Fugaku in her youth.

It wasn't a surprise. Admirers fawned from every corner.

Mikoto would never forget the face her husband—then admirer— made when she pinned him to the ground beneath her, looming over his neck with her sharpened blade. He had a bad habit of underestimating adversaries, and was a _bit_ on the cocky side. This made it hard for him to trust in Mikoto's abilities without testing them out for himself.

Fugaku would cut off his tongue before he admitted defeat to another shinobi. That is, until his wife came along.

From that moment on, he was smitten. Their history was set in stone, finalized in secret with an Uchiha decree from the clan elder and sealed with the sweetest of kisses. She did not wear white, or hide behind a veil. Instead, they wed in civilian clothing and dirty boots. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

Before she could quite make it to ANBU, she'd gotten pregnant with their first child. It was wonderful, amazing news, because the diagnostics had been grim—pregnancy was a harder road for her than it was for most women. Something had _worked_ though; be it prayer or the experiments of Konoha's best doctors.

On the ninth of June, Itachi was born. Pale skin, dark tufts of black hair, and shining obsidian eyes that held so much love she couldn't even comprehend it. He was a tough, resilient baby that grew too quickly for his own good.

In a lot of ways she was thankful for his independence. He learned to self-soothe quickly, which allowed Mikoto to rest and recover from the difficult birth. The boy was advanced in everything he did—Itachi walked soon, preferred to feed himself, and shied away from excessive attention. He was sweet, and kind, and respectful.

Now, imagine the Uchiha's surprise when Sasuke was announced, and he paralleled Itachi **in every way**. He was not a tough baby. He was small when he was born, sensitive to the air around him. Sasuke hated being left alone, whether she went to the restroom or did her daily chores. Sasuke needed affections—touch, contact— and thrived on acknowledgment.

Fugaku noticed the differences in his sons immediately. Itachi was too kind to be the harsh dictator the Uchiha needed. But Sasuke was too easily swayed, too _impulsive_ to make correct decisions.

So, the man decided that he would train Itachi in warfare and battle, because Itachi was not reactive in the way Sasuke was. This meant that Sasuke would deal in harsh policy and brutal law—taking over the Konoha Police Force while his brother worked for the safety village.

There would be— _could be_ harmony among them, if the Uchiha would _stop_ battling for power and planning their civil war against Konoha.

Sasuke and Itachi would bring that peace, and Mikoto understood this was what Fugaku wanted originally. But she noticed the change in him. He was giving in to his clansmen, growing cold and dark.

Mikoto shakes jaded thoughts out of her head and looks at her son now. His confused, genuine expression sends anger throughout her soul. It's anger than she can only direct towards herself, because it's _her_ clan and _their_ teachings that have misconstrued him.

Fugaku was falling victim, too. She could not lose her husband _and_ her sons. She refused. Squatting low, the black-eyed woman beckons to Sasuke. When he's close enough, Mikoto grabs his chin and forces him to look her in the eye.

" _Women are not wombs, or tools, or objects."_

His eyebrows raise and his lip starts to tremble, because she's never used such a serious tone with him before. Mikoto had an easy-going personality. Her gentleness normally conveyed her passions properly.

This, however, was not a gentle subject.

Mikoto did not know what would happen to the Uchiha. Sasuke was destined to be strong and formidable, and maybe even a bit devious. But she wanted him to be _compassionate_. She did not want him to follow the same path that Fugaku and Itachi were falling into.

Mikoto must think ahead. He would become a man in a few years' time, after all. He would fall in love, and have children of his own, and teach them the things he grew up hearing…the mere thought boiled her blood.

Sasuke did not need to search for a flower, simply to spread his seed. Regardless of what his sexist, idiotic grandfathers and elders led him to believe. There was more to life than lineage and _Sharingan._

If Sasuke chose to be with a woman, Mikoto didn't want it to be done out of necessity or duty. She was losing her husband to "necessity" and "duty", and it would would be the death of her.

Women were not prizes or things. If there was anything her eight-year-old son deserved, it was happiness and peace. He was too young to understand the battle between the Uchiha and the Village Hidden Amongst the Leaves, and it was a conversation she hoped to never have with him. But he was not too young to understand how to be a decent human being.

 _"_ _Look at me,"_ She says, ignoring his jutting lower lip. Her grip is hard and her eyes are severe. " _When you find a partner, you look for an equal. You need someone that you trust with all of your heart, and someone that loves_ _ **you**_ _for_ _ **you**_ _."_

Feeling emotional, Mikoto embraced her son. He was always a warm, glowing with the fire of the Uchiha that was not yet tainted. Both he and Itachi were her little miracles, her dreams recreated into living beings.

No other woman should feel the way she felt as a new wife.

She remembers the slit, disgusted eyes of Fugaku's father when they told him childbearing was an improbability after they confessed their shotgun wedding. Through it all—the stacks upon stacks of adoption papers and unsuccessful tests and experiments to help them conceive, Fugaku had accepted Mikoto without paying heed to offspring. Because he loved her, and she loved him, anything was possible.

Her children were proof of that, his father be **damned**.

Now, her husband was losing his grip on reality and kindness. A dark cloud was spreading over the Uchiha clan as the whispers of rebellion turned into screams of war. If Sasuke remembered anything of his mother, Mikoto hoped it would be how to be a respectable young man. She hoped that he would think of her words when he chose a lover and wife. She hoped that he would be a better man than his predecessors.

" _See no weakness, no fault, and no imperfection in the people you love."_ She finally says. **See your lover like your father used to see me. Not how your grandfather does.**

When it all went down in flames, and the Uchiha dissented, Sasuke would be the one to rise from the ashes like the phoenix he was.

 _"_ _Please, Sasuke, remember my words."_

* * *

He did remember her words. Sasuke didn't understand what it all meant at that age.

In many ways, Sasuke was like Fugaku—off-putting, arrogant, serious. But, Mikoto's virtues also impacted his adulthood. Because of her, Sasuke did not want to be a ruthless, brutal person. He was respectful of women, open-minded, and looked _underneath the underneath,_ because everything wasn't always at it seemed.

Her words resonate deeply with him now, because he finally understands the sudden change in Mikoto's attitude. For so long, the Uchiha had thought of love as a curse and had been cursed by it. Children were conceived out of obligation and this bred hate and animosity. That's the very reason he didn't want a child, because he told himself that he'd never be a good father. Sasuke didn't want a child simply because he was the last.

But, it was time for a new start, a new generation.

Sasuke decides that he's _not_ pollution. He's not black ink or deadly sin or toxic waste or anything else of the sort. He just…a young man with the world at his fingertips—with _his world_ beneath him, trembling and crying because she's so afraid that he'll see her as inadequate as his grandfathers would have seen her.

A sob falls from her lips. She's finally confessed and he hasn't said a word. She thinks all sorts of awful thoughts— how it will all end with her naked and alone in her bed after making love for the first time in her life. It's not ideal, but she's not a child. Sakura understands. Sasuke had too many heavy burdens to carry.

Biting her lip, Sakura speaks her mind, working her mouth around the bitter words. "I'm not much use to you now. I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I'm so sorry."

Sasuke's fingers shake as he holds Sakura's chin, just as his mother held his. He fights off his fury and rage and steadies her face, watching trails of tears pour from glittering jade jewels. His grip becomes desperate, like any wrong move will forever crush her and all that will be left is the light pink stain of the cherry blossom he'd fallen in love with. He takes a deep, agonizing breath.

"You're perfect to me." He found a partner—an equal. He trusted Sakura with all of his heart—his mind, his body, his soul. She's strong and courageous—beautiful and intelligent. He repeats his mother's chant. "You're not weak. You have no fault. You're perfect. "

He takes her mouth before she even has a chance to respond. His kiss obliterated every disheartening thought that threatened to pry past **Inner Sakura's** stronghold. Sakura's worries were vaporized by his lips as if he was using a _Katon_ on her heart, melting her into a puddle of mixed emotion and utter confusion.

She fell into him like she always did.

...like she would always do.

His walls caved around them, shattering into fragile pieces. He's no longer a wounded man. He's no longer upset and resentful and full of hatred and remorse. Sakura loved him, and Sakura forgave him, and Sasuke knew that he belonged to her in every sense of the word: as a devotee, as a partner, and as a husband.

Into the night he devours her flesh, like man and woman should. Sasuke gives himself fully unto her, and they bruise their skin and split their spirits until there's nothing left but pure, unadulterated love between them.

And after, he consumes her again.

And again.

And again.

When the sun rises with the promise of a new day, Sasuke finally lays his head on her chest, and together they fall asleep to the scent of their sex. Because they're in love, nothing could stop them now. Not missions to foreign lands or the inability to produce, or the thoughts and opinions of the others around them.

Unconsciousness swallows him. As he drifts he wonders how on earth Sakura been so resilient to his denials.

He wonders how on earth she'd known that he loved her, even before _he_ realized it himself.

He wonders how on earth he'd gotten so _fucking_ lucky to have this angel rest so calmly underneath him.

* * *

It's midafternoon when Sakura wakes up. Jazmine wafts around the silky atmosphere of her bedroom, making her feel light and airy. Immediately she blinks her eyes open and finds her vanity. With soft steps, she reaches the mirror and stares at the woman in front of her.

Ino had told her once that losing your virginity wasn't as big of a deal as everyone made it out to be. The blonde swore that you'd still be the same person. Maybe she'd told her this stuff to help Sakura get over Sasuke, when he was still corrupt and damaged. Like finding another man would get rid of the love she held for her ex-teammate.

There's _no way_ that Sakura could be the same person, though. Not after that.

She looks at her face, at her puffy lips and swollen breasts and at the bruises that bloom from thigh to neck. It's as though she sees herself clearly, for the first time in her life.

Pressing her fingertips to the cold glass, Sakura murmurs, "Beautiful," and Sasuke can't help but to agree. He wraps his arms around her naked torso and props his chin on the curve of her neck, meeting her gaze in their reflection.

Their eyes meet, peering sensually into their souls as if they could get even closer than last night. She's still shy and reserved, hiding her body unsuccessfully with her arms. It was such a foreign feeling to have someone follow every dip and curve of your body unabashedly.

Sasuke didn't want her to hide. He wanted to see all of her, forever.

His warm hands slide down her forearms to her wrists, switching places to the small jut of her hipbones. Letting his finger roam along the sensitive, raw skin, he turns her slowly in his grip. He wants to taste her, even though he'd already memorized the flavor.

Sakura faces him, pressing tepid palms to his clothed chest. She cannot see what damage she's done to his body, because he's covered himself. She knows it's so she won't heal the marks. The Uchiha pecks her nose and her chin and both eyelids before settling to the diamond of her forehead.

"Good morning," She says, and smiles up at him so brightly Sasuke can feel the lump rise in his throat. His voice breaks as he replies, and it sends a heated blush across the bridge of his nose. Coughing, he places his hand on the nape of his neck, mumbling out the only respectable thing on his mind.

"I need to go to the bank."

Sakura wants to join him, more than anything. But the thought of walking side-by-side on a lazy Saturday made her hair stand on end. Would people know what they've done? Would their lovemaking me obvious?

She gnaws on her lip innocently, but Sasuke only sees it as a tease. In this space shared between the two, he can see the almost translucent freckles that scatter from cheekbone to cheekbone. He runs his thumb over them, and then her lips, and then he lifts her body to the counter to claim her mouth once more. Sasuke cradles her head within his hands and pulls away briefly to speak.

"Come with me?"

It was strange. All of this was strange. Sakura had never felt so connected to Sasuke in her life. She remembers her Genin days, and how her mind automatically assumed Sasuke wasn't _real_ or was unbelievably _sick_ if he showed her kindness.

They certainly weren't children anymore.

He took her again in the heat of the afternoon on the vanity that tore down her spirits and soul so often throughout the years. Sasuke built her back up, absorbed her humanity, and made her feel like she was the only person in the world. This feeling...the love that they shared but didn't speak of...it was more than the sex between them. It was an accumulation of years upon years of exchanges and emotion and betrayal and forgiveness that had built into an intense, unbreakable chain. She calls his name breathlessly, and he whispers his sweet nothings:

"You're the only one."

"I need you."

And Sakura felt exactly the same way.

They cave-in on themselves in a hot, sticky mess with heaving chests and shaking limbs.

They shower separately, but dress together. Sakura throws clever grins and "accidental" brushes, taking in the still-tingling feeling of flesh upon flesh. Carefully, she fastens the button on Sasuke's pants, letting her fingertips brush against the sagittal trail of hair just below his bellybutton. He captures her, pulling a green shirt over a mess of puce-pink locks and kissing her nose as soon as it pops back into view.

Soon they were out the door, stepping carefully over the wet puddles that dotted the asphalt. They did not walk hand-in-hand, or shoulder-to-shoulder, because they needed no proof of the love between them. It was unspoken, just like everything else involving Sasuke and Sakura.

Unspoken, but very, very real.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I thought I owed you all a lot of fluff, considering I left that cliffhanger. This isn't the end, don't worry!**

 **I'll explain what I mean when I say Sasuke is married in the other chapters to come, so be patient! The way it's looking, I'm thinking it will be at least 50 chapters in all. There's a lot I want to add.**

 **Let me know what you thought of the Mikoto scene! I love her, and love writing about her, but I've been saving her for this moment. I didn't want Sasuke to want to be with Sakura JUST to have babies. I wanted them to fall in love on their own, regardless of reproduction.**

 **Sasuke didn't want to have kids because he didn't think he was a good person. But now, he realizes he's not bad, and that he's not tainted. He realizes that he deserves happiness and wants it from Sakura. He is giving himself to her, and he's willing to wait for her, because he still doesn't know that Hojo isn't her boyfriend. (He's sooo worried, huh? He doesn't care about that guy whatsoever bahaahahaha. But he want's Sakura to be happy!)**

 **Sakura still is kind of oblivious to his feelings, but knows that her love for him is solid (of course, it's always been!) Everything will be explained in the end, so don't worry! (: Thank you to everyone that stayed with me. I know both Sasuke and Sakura started out as different people, and I wanted them to change and grow through their love!**

 **I'll have another chapter out within two weeks max, and I'm shooting for a week between updates. The holidays are coming around and I'll hold to my promise, but please be patient and leave your reviews because I'm so curious on your thoughts! I love all of my reviewers. I wish I could personally reply to the guests/anons like I reply to my regulars ): You can find me on DeviantArt and Tumblr if you ever want to chat about ANYTHING.**

 **Sorry this is a kind of short-ish chapter. I hope it will tide you over!**


	38. Chapter 38: I'd hate him

Chapter 38: I would hate him.

It's breezy outside, and Sakura's thankful for her coat and umbrella. The meteorologist had predicted rain, and the skies looked like they could weep at any moment. Everything smelled like wet cement and freshly cut grass.

Somber weather brought out somber thoughts. Each step beside Sasuke felt more and more unreal, like she'd been captured in a very elaborate genjutsu.

For some reason, she'd expected to lose her virginity to Sasuke, but never to walk by his side through the middle of town. Becoming a tangled mess of hormones was understandable—Sakura knew how romance could become strictly chemical given the right situations.

But five times in one night? Five times on the _first_ night?

Sakura feels lava rise across the bridge of her nose and pulls at the sleeves of her jacket, covering her hands as if _they_ were too shy to be exposed. If only she could crawl into her covering and hide from everyone.

They knew, didn't they? Everyone _knew…_

"Um," She begins, nibbling on her bottom lip, because she can't take the silence any longer. "I didn't mean to leave you alone with the baby, last night. I…hope you weren't uncomfortable."

"I wasn't." He replies dismissively.

And just like that, he's the old Sasuke again.

She grows quiet, fidgeting with the loose threads on the collar of her shirt. There's an especially long one jutting out, and she follows the string to the curve of her neck. It's then that Sakura feels it—the soreness of a bruise over the steady pulse of her vein.

It was the spot that Sasuke went to over and over; tasting her throbbing heartbeat as she writhed beneath his body. She had discovered already that he refused to be healed—he wanted to keep her marks just as much as she wanted to keep his.

What happened was more than chemical. It was more than animalistic instinct.

This is all Sakura needs to flip her mood back around. With a happy gallop, she steps by his side. She notices how his speed slows and his obsidian orbs dip towards her, if only briefly, but it's enough to flutter her core.

He wasn't bold with affections, and he would never be. But Sakura was content with the little things.

As they continue farther and farther into Konoha, Sakura can't help but notice that Sasuke's eyes dart around as he weaves between people that gave him a wide birth. The smells of street food and perfumed shops meet her nostrils hungrily, and Sakura can't decide if she wants to buy a new outfit or stuff her face with some syrupy _dango_.

Or, both; both is good.

The deeper they went into the village, the denser the traffic became. Woman and children meandered from shop to shop, the steady carving of metal on whetstone swayed around the air, and bits and pieces of unimportant chatter meet her ears powerfully.

Sasuke is still monitoring their surroundings. He's reactive like he was as a young man, taking in the environment apprehensively. It was something he'd done for as far back as she could remember. In any new building he'd immediately search for exits. In any new town, he'd memorize the alleyways between streets.

But this is Konoha. This is home.

With the slightest of movements, Sakura's pale hand extends from her sleeve and reaches for his pinky. He turns his head, peeking from over the high color of his coat.

"Do you sense someone, Sasuke?" _Or do you really feel like an outsider?_

He exhales and his puffy outbreath floats around his face. "…No one of interest."

His finger slips from her grasp and he continues onward through the hoard. Sakura would have to take his declaration at face value. He would tell her how he felt when he was ready. _If_ he'd ever be ready.

But she could wait. She would always wait for him.

It's easier for Sasuke to walk than it was for her, mostly because is height and arrogance helped tremendously. With Sakura's chin propped up high, trying to look over the shoulders of ninja and civilian alike, and her feet working overtime to stay by Sasuke, she didn't notice the huge wet patch of slushy mud until it was too late.

The gunk captured her ankle completely. With an unsuccessful tug, she tried to wrench the appendage out. She could feel her heel start to slide and her sock fall down in the process. Annoyance floods her veins.

"Are you kidding me?" She asks aloud to no one in particular.

With her focus otherwise preoccupied, she doesn't even notice the approaching danger until it's too late. He peels his lips back into a sneer. "What a lame ninja."

Sakura looks up to see pastel blue skin and a mouthful of razor-sharp fangs. Suigetsu eyes are closed tightly because he's smiling so big—and it's unsettling and…gentle at the same time.

Both hands are propped on slender hips, and his feet stand apart as if he were making some sort of battle pose. Perhaps it's a precursor of what's to come.

Sakura is curt, but cordial. "It would seem like it."

She had a mixed opinion on the man before her. While handsome, his fake attitude reminded Sakura of Sai, except _Sai_ couldn't help it. And as much as this guy tried to hide his bloodlust, it mingled in with the air poisonously. Forced grins and murderous intent didn't give off the best vibes—especially when Sakura was trapped like a fly on sticky paper.

He was flirty in an odd, relaxing way, though. It didn't really send chills up her spine so much as it made her stutter—even if she wasn't attracted to him in the least. Danger and good-looks seemed to be her downfall.

The man steps her way and drops down low to wrap cold hands around her covered calf. He looks up at her with his strange, oxymoronic charm "We'll pull together, okay?"

The two yank simultaneously and she is freed! But the hideous purple and yellow of her novelty sock glares back at her, and her shoe is left to fester in the icky muck. Cold hair hits the freshly exposed limb hungrily. Trying to keep her balance, Sakura places her hand on Suigetsu's shoulders.

"Man, that's bad luck ya know? How did you get into this mess?"

Sakura _feels_ Sasuke before he even speaks, and she's not quite sure how. He rarely gave off much of a signature these days. Sasuke had an ominous, scary amount of power that would tempt demons and hunter-nin alike if let free. It was common practice for higher-ups to conceal most of their chakra.

It wasn't the heat he gave off, or any type of palpable authority either. It was simply _Sasuke_ , and his proximity sent tingles throughout her flesh and made her hair stand at attention. If Suigetsu made her stutter, Sasuke made her _shake._ She's not sure if this is a bad thing or a good thing.

"What is bad luck?" Sasuke asks.

Though her back is facing him, she could tell that he was undoubtedly looking from her polka-dotted sock, to her abandoned shoe. Perhaps even to the grip she had on his teammate.

Suigetsu stands lazily, brushing Sakura's palm from his shoulder as he flashes his old boss a toothy smile. "Yo. What a surprise to see you here. Running some errands?"

As if Suigetsu was simply a lamp post—an object not worth Sasuke's time—the sable-haired man regards the-girl-who-doesn't-know-he-is-her-secret-husband and reattaches foot to boot by tipping her towards the puddle. Squatting down, his fingers pinch the tongue of her shoe and he jerks it free from the slosh in one swift heave.

 _Yeah, like it was sooo easy…_

She doesn't have much time to huff, because there's something gloomy in the air. Sakura can feel some sort of…animosity between the two that stand beside her.

They were teammates previously, and at one point Sasuke had trusted this man with his life. Team Hebi/Taka had seen Sasuke at his worst, and he had been a force to be reckoned. But, throughout all that time, Sasuke still regarded them as companions.

What reason was there for this…threatening static?

Sasuke doesn't even bother responding to Suigetsu's question, and instead turns his back and continues on his way.

His ex-teammate was used to such responses. Rolling the tension off of his arms with a lethargic stretch, Suigetsu speaks again.

"I bet you two are ready for the grand finale, eh? We should train together sometime."

Sakura bounds passed, determined not to lose track of Sasuke again. As she floats by and her hair bounces in succession, the collar of her shirt whips harshly against the wind and exposes the flesh she'd covered minutes before.

Suigetsu sees it, in that moment—the maroon stain on her neck. It clashes heavily with the alabaster of the girls' skin, making it all the more noticeable. It seemed that the strange ramblings and video Karin had showed him _did_ hold some truth, after all.

"Oh…I guess you two only train one-on-one now?"

The mood shift is dizzying to Sakura. It goes from gloomy to all-out _rage._ Sasuke spins around, letting his cloak billow at his sides like the wings of a bat, sending his most heated glare as he successfully steadies his voice.

"What do you want?"

Out of everyone on his old team—even Karin—Suigetsu was the most observant. He knew what this revelation would cost them. The fish-man was devious and would use anything to pry his way under Sasuke's skin.

* * *

 **Flashback**

 _"Man, that Orochimaru's an even sicker psycho than I would have thought."_

They'd been traveling towards the newest lead on Itachi, passing through thick bouts of fog from The Land of Waves. It was always wet and humid there, and Sasuke hated the way his scalp would itch and bouts of rain would soak him straight to the bone.

 _"Quiet,"_ Sasuke had warned.

Suigetsu had normally taken the hint. He was pretty subservient in most cases. But he had this…way about him. He was always watching, waiting for a slipup that would give him some sort of authority.

" _No way. Any leverage I get on you, I'm holding it over for the rest of my life."_

Sasuke considered this to be a pretty confident admission. He stops and looks at the man, trying to decide whether killing him would be worth the waste of chakra. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of ending one of his teammates. In fact, it was almost a sick rite of passage.

Karin steps out from the haze by Jugo's side, looking furious and wounded at the same time. " _Just shut your fucking mouth already, Suigetsu! You're such an asshole!"_

 _"You're the one that told him."_ Jugo says softly..

Sometime during the night, after Sasuke had left to wonder until daybreak, Karin had found the time to tell Suigetsu of the secret documents she'd come across while working alongside Kabuto. Why she'd felt comfortable enough to divulge the information to Suigetsu, however, was still a mystery.

And why she thought it was any concern of hers was just as perplexing.

" _I don't see what the big deal is. So, Sasuke killed his old lover."_ Jugo speaks again, trying to settle the hostility. He'd only heard bits and pieces of the argument, but had figured out the outcome. " _Why is this pertinent information?"_

 _"Because,"_ Suigetsu drawls out. " _Sasuke is so hell-bent on making sure I don't kill anyone. He can't even follow his own rules!"_

 _"It's not even like that! I already told you. She wasn't his lover—she was—"_

" _Rules were made to be broken."_

He remembers his threat to Suigetsu, his lightening hands wrapped around his icy throat, ready to kill again because he'd learned to yearn for it and _that's what scared him most of all._ He was becoming the old Gaara. He was becoming bad.

And Suigetsu could bring it out of him.

 **Flashback**

* * *

Civilians try to watch the exchange secretively, but Sakura is a ninja, and she notices their intense gazes. The woman adjusts her shirt and zips the jacket all the way to the top, sighing when the cold metal teeth brush against the bottom of her chin. Dipping her nose into the fabric, she tries her best to hide her blush, hoping it goes unnoticed.

"I just haven't seen you in a while. I can't throw a few pleasantries out to an old friend?"

"We're not friends."

Sakura takes a deliberate step away from Sasuke as the silent battle ensues. She didn't think actual fists would fly—Suigetsu was too smart to attack and Sasuke was too headstrong to let his words affect him.

Or, was he? He's not the same person he used to be. She feels it's a good time to get some distance, just in case.

For the time being, they'd both hoped to keep their affair hush-hush. It was something of an unspoken understanding between them. Sasuke didn't want to bother with her boyfriend until long after he'd left the village. Sakura still deserved…someone…to keep her company, and as strange as her reasoning may be, she'd chosen Hojo.

A breakup, on top of his departure? That was just depressing.

Sakura simply didn't know how her mother would handle the news. It wasn't as if Sasuke had many good marks in his favor from her point of view—hero of the village or not. Sakura's mother had held her hand and force-fed her meals in the days after Sasuke's…defection. That woman knew more about Sakura's feelings and love than Sakura did at the time.

Thinking quickly, Sakura bites out a random question. "How did the exams go for you?"

"Jugo and I flunked out."

Sakura gulps at the quick, dismissive response and Suigetsu can see the turmoil within her. His senses pick up on every poorly concealed gesture—the way her lip dances between her bottom and top teeth, the way her fingers pull and tug on the sleeve of her jacket, the way her eyes meet his gaze only seconds at a time.

Flicking between the calm, collected Sasuke—who is coiled and ready to pounce—and his mess of a lady friend, the man smiles cunningly.

Sasuke could kill him, but he wouldn't do it here. In fact, killing _him_ would be the exact opposite of what his journey of redemption was about. Sasuke certainly wouldn't want to backpedal, lest his girlfriend see him for what he really was.

"O-oh…you didn't?" Sakura continues, stepping closer to Suigetsu. "It was hard! I hate that you guys didn't make it to the final round…but I doubt I would have passed either, if Sasuke wasn't there. The system…uh…freaked out on us. You should have seen it—"

"Oh, I saw it, pinky." Suigetsu interrupts with a smirk. "Everyone in the village saw it. I told Jugo, I said, "I bet those two are a thing." and what do you know? You're walking around with all sorts of territorial bites from the most unemotional guy in the Land of Fire. At least I won 50 ryo."

Sakura feels her face heat up and this only seems to egg Suigetsu on more. He can see the stiffness of Sasuke's shoulders, the way his eyebrows draw together and the dark irises of mismatched orbs peek from behind narrowed slits.

It's a threat, a warning.

Still, he continues. After all, when would Suigetsu ever have such a hold over the invincible Sasuke Uchiha again? For the second time in his life, Suigetsu is grateful to Karin and her big mouth. She _really_ needed more friends to talk about work with.

…Friends that weren't into blackmail.

"I kind of always figured he had some dime piece waiting for him back home. He was always sighing and batting his eyelashes."

 _"_ Shut up," Sasuke warns.

Suigetsu continues. "Always so…pent up and annoyed. He couldn't have gone is _whole life_ acting that way."

Sasuke thinks of all of the things he would have done to Suigetsu a year ago. He thinks of the person he used to be, the many times he'd wished to take a life and the very few lives he'd taken.

Then, he thinks of his final battle with his best friend.

He thinks of Naruto, lying beside him with their dominant arm blown to bits. His face was swollen from relentless poundings, just like his own was. But he was forgiving. He forgave Sasuke for all of his misdeeds and trusted him all over again with happiness etched over his features.

He thinks of Sakura's healing chakra as she stopped their blood from soaking into the shattered rock beneath their almost-dead bodies. He thinks of the way her eyes spilled tears as she fixed him up once again, proving that she'd always love him even when he fucked up.

Sasuke didn't want to betray Naruto's trust. Sasuke didn't want to fuck up anymore.

He was no longer the child that jumped into battle blindly with fists clenched and sword shining. Things like "revenge" and "betrayal" held no bounds over him any longer. Sasuke was a man. Suigetsu thought he had some sort of grip over him—a teasing chess piece that he could slide around a game board and set Sasuke's soul ablaze.

Wrong.

Instead, he wraps his hand around Sakura's wrist and pulls her nearer to him. He can see the soapiness in her eyes now—the confusion that threated the rims. She doesn't know that he's given himself to her yet.

She doesn't know that Sasuke would never do anything to hurt her anymore.

She doesn't know how much he loved her.

"Let's go," He tells her, and runs his thumb along the inner swell of her wrist. She doesn't need much pushing, because she'd follow him anywhere if he'd let her.

But, this was not _any_ old chess piece Suigetsu cradled within his grasp.

The fish-man opens his mouth and sends fire to the pit of Sasuke's not-so-black soul. Coyly, the blackmail is revealed. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. How…does— _would—_ it make you feel if you found out that he actually kind of _did_ care?"

Sakura is taken aback by Suigetsu's strange, impossible question, and the randomness of the outburst.

This ex-teammate understood Sasuke, and saw him in a different state that Sakura had only come in contact with fleetingly. He was deeply wound into the Curse of Hatred at that time. Even as a boy, Sasuke had fallen into the spell and only rarely did the Uchiha dither from his lackadaisical archetype. The emotion and caring he displayed was only brought on by dire situations.

So what did Suigetsu see? Did Sasuke mention her during his travels? Did Orochimaru uncover some secret from their Genin days? Like…like when Sasuke had almost kissed her on that stone bench, perhaps?

Her head feels carbonated, but she wouldn't speak from her heart.

"That's the silliest thing I've ever heard." Sakura bites out.

Sasuke had intense feelings for Sakura as a Genin, that much was true. She was an important person—precious people—just like Kakashi and Naruto.

Things had swayed him from his righteous path. Your brother murdering your entire clan, and finding out that the village you'd called home had orchestrated the whole thing tended to bring the worst out of people.

With this information, Sakura knew that Sasuke didn't have time to worry about unwanted affections and love confessions.

But Suigetsu knew something that Sakura didn't.

Suigetsu knew about the night Sasuke left.

The cunning fish-man senses her turmoil. Thinking quickly, he makes up a story that will tease Sasuke, but keep Sakura out of the loop at the same time. It was best not to divulge all of his intelligence at once.

"Ah, well, I'm just curious. I left a girl back home, you see. I was distant and cold most of the time. I put up my shields and purposely locked her out, because I had more important things to do."

Sakura frowns at this, removing herself from Sasuke to cross her arms and face Suigetsu fully. "…More important things than playing around with someone's feelings?"

Suigetsu folds his arms behind his head. Like a tuna trapped in a fishnet, she's been ensnared. He takes a deep breath and leans in close, so close that Sakura can smell the saltwater of his skin. "These…things…were my reason for existence. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hadn't have done them."

She furrows her eyebrows.

"Before I left, I never told her how I felt. But I did something."

He can feel the pins and needles of Sasuke's glare, brought back up full force. Oh, he knows what Suigetsu is talking about all right. The white-haired man walks a lazy circle around Sakura, keeping well out of Sasuke's range, because he knows exactly how to play this game.

With an overly dramatic, heavy sigh he says: "I kissed her."

Sasuke's mind is reeling. _Who did he have contact with?_ Questions pop in and out of his psyche as he roams through the short list of people who actually knew about his last contact with the emerald-eyed, pink-haired young woman.

Kakashi wouldn't blather about unimportant things, especially to ninja he had no meaningful connections with. He was immediately ruled out.

Naruto had always been a loudmouth, but he respected both Sasuke and Sakura enough to keep their past private. Besides, he rarely left Hinata's side now that she was pregnant, and Sasuke couldn't see the two of them hanging out with someone as ill-tempered as Suigetsu.

He and Shikamaru had no more qualms, right? They'd resolved it all in the bathhouse. _So then…who?_

 _Who?_

"Anyways," Suigetsu finishes, looking guiltlessly towards his Boss's girlfriend—or whatever the hell they were. "How would _you_ feel if you were in my situation? How would you feel if you found out that you really meant something to Sasuke all along?"

Sakura curls her fingers into a fist as he toes his sandal into the wet ground and draws invisible hearts over the soil.

Che, like she'd fall for that.

Sakura didn't find Suigetsu's expressiveness all that random. As a kunoichi, and as a doctor, she had held cold hands by airless bedsides as people confessed all sorts of misdeeds and revelations. She was bright and open, giving off the appearance of trustworthiness from the clarity of her jade eyes.

Sakura was an analogist, too. She saw every corner of a situation, top and bottom, to find the answer hidden amongst context clues. Perhaps this was why she was so great at genjutsu aversion. Perhaps this was why she saw right through the flirtatious advances a handful of men had thrown at her.

Perhaps this is why Suigetsu's fake timidity does not fool her. Suigetsu isn't as good at reading her as he thinks. She can see his ploy just as easily as Sasuke can.

The blue-hued maniac is playing sweet, rubbing his thumbs together and throwing his eyes downwards to give off the appearance of purity.

Sakura doesn't know what's going on—there's no way she could guess it. She can still sense the underlying ruse, and she guesses that he just wants Sakura to say that his actions were completely understandable. Suigetsu wants her to make him feel better about being a shitty person.

Whatever this was, she wasn't buying it. So, when she finally forces out the words, both Suigetsu and Sasuke are both equally surprised.

"You want to know how I would feel if Sasuke kissed me before he left the first time? Alright, I'll tell you." And in this moment, she thinks of what Suigetsu's woman should say to _him_ , for being such a pig, and for speaking so easily about her heartbreak. "I'd hate him."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I know, more drama, but don't worry. This wont last at all, I promise! I hope you liked the bit of fluff in the beginning and I've had a few requests to add as much fluff as I could before the ending chapters. So, I'll oblige, and I hope you still stick with me! I don't want this story to drag on but I'm having so much fun communicating with you all, (I see you, my little anonymous reviewers: "Just Passing By" and "Krlicm", "Waterlilly333" and, "Ber" and "SaYwHaT" just to name a few!)**

 **This is...basically filler, for what's to come. Don't think I've forgotten the whole "kiss before you left the village" thing Sasuke! In fact, we'll see this again realllll soon! I can almost taste the finish line!**

 **As always, let me know what you think and if you'd like some more things added, (more fluff, more lime/lemons, etc.) just let me know. This story is for the SasuSaku fans. We don't get enough in the manga/anime so that's why we write and draw and create! I want everyone to be happy! 3**

 **Oh, yeah. Please tell me where I mess up and make mistakes if you catch them. Send me a screenshot on Tumblr or the full sentence on here. I don't have any beta readers so I'm left to my own crappy eyes!**


	39. Chapter 39: Welcome Home

Chapter 39: Welcome home.

There's a man by the road that is beckoning to passersby's. He's selling cabbage—freshly picked—and his voice pierces above the dull roar of the morning crowd.

To the left, a young boy passes out news articles. The front page depicts the fourteen winners of the second round of The Jōnin Exams, and he passes out the papers for 5 ryo each. They sale quickly, because everyone is excited for what's to come, and they're eating up every ounce of information they can get.

Conversations weave in and out between Sasuke, Sakura and Suigetsu, mingling in with random clacks and clangs, and the squishy sounds of boots on mud.

Yet, none of these things catch hold of Sasuke quite like Sakura's sentence does.

Her words do not shock him, nor do they make him feel disappointed. It was a true statement from the genuine girl that she was. She's always been bold and brash—the daintier, female equivalent of Naruto Uzumaki in some ways, except...with a lot more class. Any other reaction really would have been out of character.

This was not a figurative situation about Suigetsu and some exotic, unknown mistress, though. This was representative of Sasuke's incorrect actions and Sakura's three-year-plus heartbreak as a result of his weak bond-breaking, and his attitude in his early teens.

Suigetsu wishes to hold the revelation over Sasuke's head. It was a silly, immature misdeed, and he'd found out from a silly, immature loudmouth. (Which loudmouth, however, is unbeknownst to Sasuke.)

"You'd hate him?" Suigetsu asks, looking from between the two. Sakura kept her gaze firm and her jaw set, determined not to back down. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"It is harsh," Sakura retorts, losing all of her cordiality. More than anything she wants to walk right up to that water-guppy and slam her chakra fist into is liquefied face. "But what else would you expect? You want me to feel sorry for you?"

Suigetsu didn't plan to be the butt of Sakura's backlash. He'd only intended to rile Sasuke up, and maybe get a little misguided pity. But she walks up to him, nose scrunched, like she's holding back the urge to throttle him.

Because she is.

"Maybe not, "feel sorry", but yeah a little sympathy would be good."

"Are you really as stupid as you look?" Sakura bites out, absolutely seething.

Honestly, how dare he associate leading on a woman with what she and Sasuke have been through?

"Don't compare your stupid little… _romance_ to the feelings I've had for Sasuke. They're not similar in the least. My situation is different from yours."

Suigetsu does not back down. He's not afraid of a five-foot-nothing, bubble-gum-pink haired girl with a napoleon complex. In fact, if Sasuke wasn't here he's not sure she would still be standing at all. "Oh yeah, pinky? And just _how_ is it so different?"

Sakura narrows her eyes at the jab, and dips her eyebrows so low that she can almost see them in her vision.

Being on Team 7 had been a dream come true. She loved the fact that she would be close to Sasuke, and slowly Naruto became a precious person—someone she would risk her life for. At first, their dynamics were askew and messy. Teamwork never came easily.

Naruto was far ahead in strength, but behind in skill. Sasuke was equal in both, and Sakura was good at neither. (Excellent chakra control and book-smarts only got you so far.) The boys always argued, Kakashi was always late, and Sakura didn't have a care in the world.

But, somewhere along the way, there had been a shift.

Sasuke craved the power Orochimaru offered. He needed to get stronger. He was haunted by the screams of his clan that replayed repeatedly in his mind. There was a certain man he needed to kill

And so, he cut his ties.

Sakura feels her fingernails bite into the palm of her hand.

She remembers the cool breeze of the night air, and his harsh, unpleasant words that echo in the confines of her mind. If she closes her eyes she can still feel his adolescent body behind her—she can still hear the fragile timbre of his voice as the wind carried his gratitude.

 ** _"_** ** _Thank you."_**

To this day, she has no idea what he was thanking her for. Was he thanking her for being a lousy teammate? Was the thanking her for being weak, and snotty, and holier-than-thou?

Thinking of Sasuke up until that day had always given her a giddy, butterflies-in-my-tummy kind of feeling. They'd all died that night, crumbling into decayed skeletons, and all she was left with was worry and a bitter taste in her mouth.

Her fingers tremble and her lip juts out, but she refuses to cry.

If Sasuke had cared for her, maybe Sakura could have done _more._ She's never had any type of sway over him, so the idea—the ridiculous notion Suigetsu spat out only makes concealed emotions rebound within her soul tenfold.

 _If Sasuke cared for me, I could have stopped him._

 _But I couldn't stop him._

 _I couldn't save him._

So, Sakura decides that, if Sasuke had feelings for her that went beyond simple comradery, she would absolutely hate him. She would hate him for abandoning her, and not accepting her childish pleas, and turning his back on his entire village to dedicate his life—his _being_ —to Itachi Uchiha's demise. Sakura didn't care if she sounded like a brat. She couldn't help it.

All throughout her internal suffering, Suigetsu _smiles_ happily _._ He is a man that thrives off of pain and sadness. Her face shows it all—agony, heartbreak, dejection. It always thrilled him when he could insight such reactions by simple words.

To think, he hadn't even divulged his secret.

He runs his tongue along his teeth, thinking of the next cruel line of action. What could he say that would break that fragile spirit of hers, and intern, get that same familiar rise in anger that Sasuke used to so easily emit? He'd come back to this village a hero, and he was _nothing of the sort._

Sasuke was like Suigetsu—ruthless, cruel, and savage beyond belief. There was no point in denying it. Suigetsu really did miss his maniac of a leader. It was always nice to be around like-minded people. Playing sweetheart with an old…indulgence would get Sasuke nowhere.

But, before Suigetsu can deliver the final blow to Sakura's ego and heart, Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha clan…

…with eyes as black as his soul and rage as palpable as a hurricane…

…with hands that have slain powerful enemies and attacked comrades without any moral hindrances…

…reaches out to hold this _unimportant_ girl as if she tethered him to the very earth itself.

Sakura feels Sasuke's forearms encircle her neck, over the tops of her slender shoulders. Suddenly shocked at the intimate gesture, she reaches up and wraps her fist around the cold cloth of his cloak and buries her face into it.

The cornerss of his shawl almost engulf her completely, spilling by her sides as he props his chin upon her head, covering her face so she can weep without feeling weak.

 _She hates to feel weak._

Sasuke is pulling her into his gravity—into the warmth of his body heat—devouring her fully so her angry, saltine tears will remain hidden from the rest of the world.

"It's different from your story, because," Sasuke begins as he looks into his cradled arms and turns her to face him, so only he can see the liquid pouring from her lashes. "Sakura's devotion to me is incomparable. It's much more immense than a fleeting crush."

"Or," Suigetsu snaps. "Maybe you just couldn't walk away right the first time. Maybe you couldn't break your bond well enough." _You know, like kissing her after you knocked her out!_

"It's not that I'm bad at breaking bonds—it's that the bond I have with her simply could not be broken."

His voice isn't reserved with anger, or tight with hostility. Maybe it would be, if he were actually addressing Suigetsu like his words seemed to be. But, it's as though the fish-man ceased to exist. It's like Sasuke and Sakura are alone in the universe, unconfined, drifting off in their own galaxy that's only big enough for the both of them. Citizens part from the three in a large, overly-dramatic fashion, as though there was a barrier around them that they could not enter.

With gentleness Suigetsu has seen only fro Sakura, he watches as Sasuke raises his hand to cup Sakura's cheek and dances his fingertips along the soft curve of her feminine jawline.

"I won't regret not taking you with me." He whispers so only she can hear it. "I won't regret leaving."

 _I just regret kissing you when you couldn't kiss me back, and never telling you how important you were._

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Suigetsu turns away swiftly. He's not used to seeing such a kind reaction to his blatant disrespect. He's not used to seeing careful touches and mild declarations from the guy that vowed to demolish his entire hometown and every soul within it.

Whatever was going on between Sasuke and Sakura wasn't at all what he expected. Karin would have a hard time breaking their walls, that's for sure, and it seemed as though she was seven years too late. This was something that had started the day their little team was formed.

Suigetsu wasn't foolhardy enough to reveal the truth—his trump card—just yet. The time would come, when Sasuke and Sakura would fall, and Sasuke would turn back into his normal, warmongering self.

Which meant Suigetsu would have his boss back, and then, he'd finally get a chance collect all of swords from Seven Ninja Swordsman of The Mist.

The final stage of the Jōnin Exams couldn't come quick enough.

* * *

Soon, they are heading back down the street from the bank—Sasuke with a smaller sum of money that he'd donated, and Sakura with a large bag of free popcorn. She licks the pad of her thumb carelessly, speaking nasally to her partner as she vents.

"What the hell was that guy thinking?" She sniffles, still affected from her crying bout, though it's already been an hour. "He can't really be that stupid."

Sasuke smells the buttery treat as it mingles with the air, and glances down to watch her hair bob as she teeters alongside him. He doesn't mean to stare, honestly, he doesn't. Sasuke had always prided himself in the art of self-control.

But Sakura was his demise.

He notices tiny, insignificant details, like the oil from her treat that leaves her plump lips shiny. The way her tongue darts out between bites to taste the remaining salt. The soft wipe of her fingertip as it glides along the corner of her mouth, cleaning up the small bits of warm, stray morsels.

Thankfully, he isn't able to think of such things for very long. She's rather serious about food, and the woman stuffs a whole handful in her craw like she hadn't just had breakfast a few hours ago.

She certainly wasn't the dainty, timid type that picked around her plate. She consumed _more_ when she was upset.

"You look mad, too." She says between mouthfuls.

"I am."

As if his day couldn't get any more complicated, Suigetsu had to show up out of nowhere with his blackmail.

He'd always been the defiant type, but that personality trait had been smoldered by Sasuke's authority. It seemed he sensed the change in Sasuke, the compassion that started to affect his personality. Suigetsu battled against it, trying to see just how soft his former leader had gotten.

But, how had he found out about Sakura and Sasuke's Genin ties?

"You aren't…are you mad at me, are you?" Sakura asks, pulling him from his thoughts.

Sakura would certainly understand it, if he was. For some reason, she had been more emotional as of late. It had probably started before Sasuke even came back, but more and more Sakura found herself wallowing in self-pity and experiencing random sobbing sessions—becoming hurt or offended at the strangest of things. She could only assume it was a hormonal change, as a result of her infertility.

 _I'll have to run some tests, soon._

Still, there was nothing she could say to excuse herself for the way she treated Suigetsu earlier. There was no way he would know about their past, and she'd lashed out at him. In the end, Suigetsu was just an old teammate, and Sakura should have respected him in relation to Sasuke.

There are people around them, keeping their eyes on the once-traitor and Konoha's most prided kunoichi. He had never been big on public displays of affection, and truthfully, there'd never been a need in his life for such.

This day was certainly going to be a long one. What had he said earlier? Ah, that's right: _complicated._

All he could muster, after hugging her so brazenly earlier, was a gentle tug at the hem of her sleeve.

Slowly, Sakura turned and met his gaze wholeheartedly. She was becoming more accustomed to his glowing, dissimilar eyes. She used to read them so easily in their youth—well enough to see the pain and torture hidden within. He was a man now—a handsome, strong, deadly man that stared into her spirit and spoke thousands of words he would probably never say aloud.

There it was again; their silent connection. _It's not you I'm angry with._

Sakura understood that she would probably never have their old connection back. It was for the better—this linking was different, and honestly it was the most formidable of all.

Sakura would probably never be able to see the unguarded emotion buried in Sasuke's obsidian pearls. So what? She _experienced_ it firsthand. _Feeling_ was much better than _seeing_.

She gleams towards him, understanding his actions. Maybe the start to their day wasn't as good as it should have been after what they did last night. Who cares? Sakura had until Wednesday to be with Sasuke; perhaps even later, if he decided to stay and recuperate after the final round of the Exams.

There simply wasn't any time to worry about anything else.

"I think I'm going to train weaponry with Hinata today, and I'll have dinner with my mother later." Sakura babbles, throwing her popcorn in the nearest trashcan. She rubs her hands together, shaking off salt. "I probably won't be back until tonight…but…I'll be there. So, um…wait for me."

And suddenly, like the people around them didn't matter, the woman jumps up, pecks his cheek with a bashful kiss, says: "Iloveyougottogo!", and then she sprints down the road at a speed that could almost rival Rock Lee's.

"Later, then," Sasuke says to no one in particular as he blinks away the dust she kicked up.

* * *

Sakura gets in later than expected from her practice with Hinata, who had been helping her with her battleax from the sidelines. She only had an hour before dinner at her mother's, and that meant she'd have to rush through a perfectly warranted bath.

Her hair falls in loose, pressed waves between her shoulder blades. She's tied it too tight with her elastic band, and the sudden slackness makes her groan with relief. Sakura detangles the strands and opens the door to her bathroom, ready to soak away the chill of a November drizzle and a few layers of powdered earth. She turns on the faucet to fill the tub, dropping in a few essential oils to help the dryness of her winter-skin.

Slowly her training gear is peeled, starting with her kunai holster and ending with her skin-tight spandex. Clothing falls around her in a messy, unkempt circle. She curls her pale fingers around the porcelain sink and stares at the _woman_ that smiled back.

Yep, she was still there! Whatever her hormones were making her feel as of late, Sakura was thrilled they let her see her body kindly. She was starting to think she'd never look beautiful again.

Sakura skims down the length of her narrow midriff. Her skin is sprinkled with lovebites and marks—the residue of her heated, passionate exchange with Sasuke Uchiha.

 _The_ Sasuke Uchiha.

As steam wafts around and fogs up the mirror in front of her, Sakura uses her finger to write out:

 ** _S-A-K-U-R-A_**

 ** _U-C-H-I-H-A_**

To think—this all started out with puppy love.

Sakura hears the front door open, and it pulls her from her digressions. Her body moves before she has a chance to truly process the information.

She doesn't care that the water is still filling up her tub, or that she's completely naked, or that she probably looks like a wild banshee, because _Sasuke is here!_ And she'll get to see him before the dreaded, foreseen argument between her mother about Sakura's ninja status (Chunin was high enough!), and how she needed to settle down and find a man that was willing to adopt a lot of grandchildren for her.

Bleh.

Sakura bounds down the hallway to the front door in a mad dash. Her hair flies around her, spreading out like pastel wings. No angel could be so tempting.

Sasuke has been pounced on before. He's been ambushed in his sleep, punted into rock, blasted through icy water in all sorts of odd, agonizing situations. His body was…conditioned to surprise attacks.

But, no amount of training could prepare him for this.

For _her._

Sakura slams him into the door, forcing his head to whip back harshly, _painfully._ An involuntary ' _oof'_ escapes his mouth because all of the air he owned within him was being forced out by the heavier-than-she-looked woman that threw herself onto him.

"You're back," She says, wrapping around his body like seaweed. She's completely off of the floor, coiling to his frame as an extension of his body. "Welcome home!"

As he tries to catch his breath, forgotten memories flash in his mind. He remembers what it was like to have a family—to have someone that enjoyed seeing you, and greeted you when you came home.

Sasuke looks down at Sakura as she nuzzles her face deep into the folds of his coat, inhaling his scent.

In the Land of Waves, after being pierced with senbon, Sasuke recalls waking up to her tears and her pressure and thinking: _It's been so long since someone has cried over me. It's been so long since someone has cared._

She's always held a place in his heart, since then. The girl that shed tears so easily, the girl that was frightened of death and fighting…the girl that would face even the most formidable of enemies with nothing but her life on the line…

She had turned into such a very important person.

His heart is alight, burning his humanity into black char and powdering his cheeks with redness…because…because he's never imagined someone being so ecstatic by his mere _presence_ like Sakura is, in this moment.

"Aa," he utters, sliding his hand along her smooth, bare body. She smells like sweat and earth, and she feels like the coolness of midnight. "I'm home."

Sasuke was her campfire.

Their lips collide, like two meteors suddenly caught in each other's gravitational pull. Like a star's supernova, imploding in on itself, spraying stardust out towards the Milky Way. He seals whatever words Sakura wanted to say right back into her mouth, tasting her with his tongue, taking her body into his palms because it's where she belonged.

Sasuke doesn't even make it to her living room before falling to his knees. Sakura thumps against the floor softly, breaking from his mouth with a racy huff. They're breathless, though not from lack of oxygen.

Two hearts were beating as one, thrumming incessantly as adrenalin pumped throughout their veins; so much so that they were physically shaking in response.

He pulls away so he can savor her, licking the sweat over her skin. She reacts to him like a magnet—his push is her pull—and they move in sync as if their actions were choreographed or practiced.

Sasuke feels like an oven, searing her skin with his blistering brushes and molten sweeps. He finds a particularly sensitive spot behind the dip of her ear and Sakura tangles her fingers deep within his dense hair, squeezing.

How had they gone so long without this?

Sasuke is no longer blushing, nor coy. He wants her too badly for that. The man grips her wrist and pierces her with shadowy, demanding eyes, dominating Sakura like the first time he kissed her.

"Hands up,"

She was used to passive and apathetic Sasuke. When he snuffed out his stupid hesitancies and reluctance, this man was an absolute _dream._ She enjoyed this side of him, _craved it,_ even.

"I know the drill." Sakura whispers to him, unable to hide the snarky undertone in her voice. He flashes a brilliant half-smile—perhaps a warning—and a wink that ignites her very _core_.

Sasuke hides his smirk behind her breast, small but beautifully formed, and flames his tongue over the delicate crowns. She's honey soft and creamy, squirming beneath him as he warmed her flesh.

Though it's only been a day, he's starting to learn the ins and outs of her body. He knows how easy it would be for her to cum, and it's much too soon for that _._ Sasuke pulls away and meets her gaze, ravaging his eyes across her body as his deft fingertips work on the clasp of his coat.

Sakura, though nude, and though deflowered, still felt uncomfortable in the unforgiving light of her hallway. Before he can look past her navel, she squeezes her legs closed and huffs.

Sasuke, however, wasn't having it.

"Open them." He commands while he unbuttons his shirt—sluggishly, provokingly—and Sakura can't stop her tongue from bathing her lip. Sasuke unfastens the white fabric just enough to give her a glimpse of his torso and the fresh skin that lay beneath.

She was an ornery thing, though. Sakura crosses her arms in defiance, hiding her breasts as she scrunches her nose. Drawing pale eyebrows together and glaring from the slits of emerald eyes, Sakura challenges him. "No way!"

Sasuke is reminded of their Genin days—her complaints about how _hot_ the weather was and how the humidity messed with her precious locks of petal-pink hair. He thinks of her filing her nails, glancing at herself with a silver-plated mirror, turning on her heels when she heard something absurd.

What a bratty, annoying… _princess_ he'd fallen for.

And _fuck,_ he loved every second of it.

Like a panther—an imperious lothario—Sasuke glides his hands along her thighs and traps her between his arms. His undone shirt falls loosely, tempting Sakura with a half-view of his toned muscles. Her hand reaches towards his midsection, but he dodges the touch, leaning down to press his fevered cheek against hers.

Sasuke's voice is throaty as it wafts around the shell of her ear. "Don't make me tell you twice."

Sakura's head starts spinning and she clamps her mouth shut. A swoon was threatening to burst forth, but she's stronger than that. Enfolding her arms around his neck, she whispers just as huskily. "What is gonna happen if you do?"

Sasuke leans on his forearm gently grips the base of her head, wrapping pink tendrils into his fist. Squeezing the nape of her neck, he kisses her forehead, where her seal was—her nose, her eyelids, her cheeks and chin.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

He slides down the length of her body with only his face, placing his hands steadfastly on the wooden floor underneath them. Sasuke skips over her breasts, and her navel, and all of the places he's learned get the biggest responses from her.

He finally reaches the apex of her legs, still closed off to his pressure. Using the sharpest points of his canines, he drags his teeth over the plunge of her hipbone. Still, her fingers were unmoving, twined within his mane as if she needed something to hold on to.

Guiding his hand towards hers, he softly detangles her digits and looks upwards between his too-thick-for-a-man lashes. She was watching, waiting for him to turn animalistic.

If she won't put them up, he'll give her hands something to do.

He feels her thighs part as his palm goes nearer to her core, exposing her petal-smooth center. Redness sweeps along every inch of gooseflesh, deepening the color of her peachy skin as if she'd been thrown into a scalding bath.

"Touch yourself,"

Sakura leans upwards, eyes wild and demanding. "What?"

Sasuke uses his cheek to slide along her inner thigh. "Touch yourself for me. I want to see."

In seconds, she goes from peachy-red to absolute crimson. As if she didn't know what he was asking, the man cups her essence with her own hand. He works her fingers—it's her touch, but his movements—and slowly Sakura surrenders herself unto him.

He draws lazy circles over her tender flesh, using her index and middle finger as the pen. Each sweep, Sakura could feel the feathery wetness of her own arousal start to soak beyond her fingertips.

It's then that Sasuke takes her in.

His lips are intoxicatingly merciful, pleasing her as she accepted the warmth. The nectar of her femininity tempted him with much more than what his tongue could offer, but sliding between her soft lips would appease him for the time being.

Sasuke's nails leave half-moons on the swell of her bottom as he seductively swept over silky mounds. Her agonized gasps fill the small space of her hallway, quick and shallow, waiting for the explosion of ecstasy to engulf her. She arched herself towards each possessive lave, feeling her body naturally rotate in slow, insistent circles.

The golden glow of her skin mellowed out into a tawny, honey hue as an intolerable pleasure built within. Sakura bucked against Sasuke's firm grip, unable to control her primal instinct. She was so close. So very, very close.

"Do you want to cum?" He asks as he blows out a forced exhale. He meets her gaze, finding pure desire in the cloudy jade of her glittering eyes.

He looks absolutely fiendish, and Sakura didn't want anyone to see such a face. Maybe it was selfish of her, and maybe it was childish, too. But Sakura found Sasuke expressions and gentle behaviors to be more valuable than gold and diamonds and the finest of silk.

She wanted to bottle up this moment and store it under her bed. She wanted to pull out these feelings and emotions whenever she felt lonely and depressed and scared of what was to come. She wanted to be his for the rest of her life, until death did them part.

"I want you."

Obedient and sly, she rises up from her supine position and presses her lips against his full, plump ones. Savagely pouncing onto his lap, her tongue finds his in a sweet invasion.

She can feel everything, now. The bunching muscles of his shoulders as he tries to keep himself upright, his narrow waist as she wraps her legs around him, the fiery brand of his pulsating masculinity as she sweeps her dampness across the fabric of his pants.

There, on the floor of her hallway, Sakura gives him everything. She feels the walls of her body stretch to receive him, burying deep within as wanting became reality. Sasuke hears the telephone ringing in the background, but nothing matters except for her bouncing hair and sticky skin.

She takes over all of his senses. His eyes can't peel away from her face, scrunched in pleasure as she helps him abandon himself in satisfaction. He tastes the salt on her neck. He hears her parted lips hiss his name.

Sakura rides him in to a chaotic, rough release that's mixed with indecent touches and filthy words. Their souls enmeshed and their hips grinded together and it's not even about coming anymore.

Hell, maybe it's never been about that.

Being with her, like this, is the closest any two people can physically get. It's a bond completely different that platonic friendship and the unwavering love from a family member. Looking up from under his dark lashes, he watches as she reaches her peak, and it's an addicting view.

Blackness fuzzes her vision, her toes crimp and she gains her own dominance back by entwining her fingers deeply into Sasuke's black trusses. She's rowdy as she tugs at his tender strands, but Sasuke can't help but find it enjoyable. It's a good kind of hurt.

The kind he liked rather well.

Together they descend, sprinkling kisses over every patch their panting mouths can reach. Sakura's strong arms can no longer hold her weight. She crashes to Sasuke's chest, just in time for three quick knocks to rebound around the room.

Just in time for the front door to open.

Just in time for Sakura's mother to walk in on her naked daughter laying atop an ex-Missing Nin, still glowing from their impassioned closeness.

 _Oh, God no._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **OVER 300 REVIEWS THANK YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH. I LITERALLY CRIED WHEN I READ YOUR REVIEWS AND I REPLY TO EVERYONE SO CHECK YOUR FOLDERS.**

 **Finally! Sasuke gets to meet Mrs. Haruno. What a great first-impression!**

 **I don't know why, but I'm starting to like leaving cliffhangers now? It seems that's how most of my chapters have been ending! I'll try to stop. Also, I won't update again until Monday, and I have a lot of stuff to do before Christmas so I hope the next chapter will be a good one! This will be my Merry Christmas. I love you all.**

 **Anyways, message me if you have any questions. (:**

 **What did you think of Sasuke's reaction to Sakura's, "I'd hate him."?**

 **How did you like the fluff? Was it too cheesy? I'm not good with this sort of stuff. And there will be plenty of lemons, so let me know if I'm getting out of hand when I describe them. I mean, c'mon, Sasuke's a "married" man now! But too much can be a bad thing!**

 **Also, I try to keep the sex scenes pretty vague. I try not to use explicit/crude language in relation to sex organs, which is weird because I can say "fuck" 12,000, but I don't like to say "cock". Idk. Just, take it like it is. Bahaha.**


	40. Chapter 40: I'm not asking

Chapter 40: I'm not asking.

A dripping noise took over the awkward banter in the air. Sasuke closed his eyes, unmoving as he drowned out the noise of yelling women to focus the strange sound of running water.

It...kind of sounded like a waterfall.

Sakura stood up suddenly, pointing an accusing finger, paying no mind to her absolute nudity. Sasuke had it easy—his shirt was unbuttoned and his pants were low on his hips. With a quick and simple adjustment, he was perfectly presentable.

"You can't just walk into people's houses like this, mother! For god's sake!"

"I didn't 'just walk in', young lady." The woman explains with venom in her voice. "I called before I came over. I knocked. How was I supposed to know you were…I…I thought you had more respect for yourself than _that._ What are you thinking? On the floor, no less? I can't believe this! _"_

Sasuke rises up, brushing imaginary dirt off of his sleeves. It was odd to hear Sakura get scolded—or anyone, really. The last time he was disciplined, he was pretty sure it was for sneaking in stray cats. That was a big leap from… _this._

He didn't bother saying anything, because he didn't really know what to say. He was grown after all, and so was Sakura. She was certainly old enough to make her own decisions and choices. But it wasn't as if Sasuke understood the dynamics between mother and daughter. What would his mother do if she were in Mebuki's place?

He shudders, thinking best to hide the thought.

The two went at it, throwing out accusations and snarky comments.

"You talk about respect, yet you don't wait for me to answer the door? I'm an adult, you know. I deserve a little privacy!" Sakura pauses then and looks towards the bathroom. Yet another curse falls from her mouth. "You've got to be _fucking_ kidding me."

She brushes past Sasuke and runs to the door, her mother hot on her heels. Making sure to keep at least three paces behind, Sasuke follows too, curious to see where the waterfall was coming from.

The scene from the restroom was quite a sight to behold. Sakura grabs a robe from a hook and tiptoes past the flooded floor and though steam indicated it was scalding hot. Slipping and sliding through sudsy water, the woman cranes for the faucet and finally, after two angry turns, it's off. Reaching deep into the tub, she pulls the plug and plops down on the toilet unceremoniously.

 _Add, "Destroying your own bathroom," to the long list of "What the hell else can go wrong today?", Sakura._ The woman tells herself.

"Right, right," her blonde, middle-aged mother begins, making her way to the closet to drag out every towel Sakura owned. "You're an _adult_. You're _responsible_."

Her voice is thick with sarcasm.

"Can we please not do this right now?"

Mebuki pulls up her sleeves and begins to soak up the moisture as best as she can, but there's too much to absorb and the cloth fills up quickly. Hiking up her ankle-length dress, Sasuke watches as she waddles to the bathtub and wrings out the sopping material as if she'd done this a thousand times before. She was a working woman, without a doubt.

"When shall we do it, then? You're late for dinner. I call and you don't answer. I walk in on you mid-coitus—"

"Post-coitus," Sakura interjects with a sneer.

Jesus Christ.

The remark brings out the worst of Mebuki.

"You're nineteen years old for god's sake! Show a little decency! Your father said I was wrong, but I've _always_ had a feeling those men sneaking into your house at all hours came for more than just _healing._ "

The accusation was false, but that didn't mean Sakura wasn't offended. She stands, puffing out her chest. "Oh _yes,_ mother, I'm just a _huge slut._ I even have special advertisements posted in the Sunday paper!"

"I figured," Mebuki hisses back. "You can't get pregnant so you're open for business. Is that right?"

Sasuke steps in, then, because she's gone too far and he was anything but an innocent bystander in all of this.

Sasuke didn't know the details of Sakura's infertility, because it didn't matter. Whatever the reason, he was smart enough to know that it was a sensitive subject. Sakura certainly didn't get her intelligence maternally.

Sakura starts to rage, but falls into his wide arms as he holds her back. Genin against Sanin-level ninja wasn't the best of odds, and as much as Sasuke would love to see her defend herself, it wasn't right.

"That's what this is about, huh? That's why you resent me?"

"Resent you?" Her mother retorts. "For what, exactly? For becoming a ninja in the first place, even though you were the only daughter—the only _child—_ we could have?"

Sasuke's chest is warm as he holds tight, keeping her from attacking as years of built up anger fall from both women.

"I did it for us! Because we were poor, because I didn't want father to have to work three jobs, because I was tired of the _struggle—_ don't you understand? I even helped _you_ both become ninja!"

"Well, now what are we left with? The Haruno die out with you. Risking your life for some old woman you barely met—what was her name? Chiyo?—and getting impaled because of it. Risking your life for that fox-boy-turned-hero—getting your heart broken because of it. And most of all…risking your life for _this_ guy? How many times have I held your hand and your hair as you wept over his actions until you vomited yourself dry? You're smarter than this!"

Sasuke had long since moved past being offended by people's reactions and opinions. Yet, for some reason, the fact that Sakura's mother not only held him, but _Naruto_ to such low standards made him teeter along the edge saying something he'd regret.

Most of all, Sasuke had no idea just how much his departure had destroyed Sakura. He'd only seen the fully ripened, battle-ready kunoichi—and thankfully so.

Her dejected face, as disgusting as it was, would have only prided Sasuke's former self. It would have been just another regret for Sasuke to deal with.

He ignored Mebuki completely and captured Sakura's cheeks within his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. They're so clear, so trusting after all she's been through. He has so much to say to her, and so much to apologize for that a simple "I'm sorry," won't do.

Sasuke wants to do it right. Sasuke doesn't want to hurt her ever again.

"Go lay down."

"No way, I—"

Gently, slowly, he presses his lips to the diamond on her forehead. He doesn't care if her mother is seething behind them, or that his feet are soggy with perfumed water, or that his hair is a mess because they'd just been walked in on. Sakura is fueled, so he needed to calm her fury.

Looking at his red-faced, broken-hearted lover, he speaks. "I'll fix the bathroom. Just go rest. Will you do that for me?"

Of course she would.

Guiding her out of the ruined bathroom and across the hall, he shuts the door once he sees that she's cocooned into her nest of blankets. Sakura retires, where she can punch her pillows and curl into a ball until the tears stopped flowing and she could sheath her feelings back into her core, where they belonged.

Sasuke wants nothing more than to be with her, in this moment. But he always saw the bigger picture. He knew that something important need to be done and Mebuki played a major part in his acquisition.

"I'll walk you home." He orders, padding his way out of the hall and into the kitchen.

"I don't need you to walk me home." Mebuki bites out. "I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to my daughter."

He ignores her and calls a friend, his only friend, for a well-deserved favor. Deftly, Sasuke swoops down for his abandoned coat and pulls it on, heading for the foyer, not caring whether the older woman was following or not.

"Didn't you hear me? I said that I don't want to talk to you!"

Sasuke sees that Sakura _did_ inherit something from her mother—their spitfire attitude was one in the same. For some reason this makes him even more relaxed. He found the impudence refreshing—mind-numbing, almost.

He's never bothered to heed Sakura's words and he wasn't about to change it up for her mother. With a sideways glance, the man opens the door for Mebuki Haruno, leans against the doorway and says, "I'm not asking."

* * *

"It's a lovely evening," Hinata declares to her husband as they walk down the street. Naruto adjusts his scarf—a homemade, long, red thing that he's been waiting to pull out of the closet since the first chill.

"Why do you think I have to bring our shop vacuum? Do you think a pipe burst? It's not _that_ cold yet." He mutters as he fumbles with the cord. It's fallen three times already, causing him to stumble. Finally, the man throws it over his shoulder and bounds up the steps to Sakura's home.

Coiled into a lazy spiral, a large, thick snake pokes his head up. He's only slightly taller than Naruto if he was stretched out, and his scales glitter from dark green to pale purple. Blinking orange eyes, he speaks. "So, you're finally here?"

Naruto always hated how snake summons spoke their "s"-es. He shivers involuntarily. "Who're you, creepy worm? Where's Sakura?"

"I am Mamushi, son of Manda." It hisses, gliding around in a slow circle. His nose his held high with superiority, and then after a few seconds, he answers the second question. Narrowing his bright eyes, the snake says: "The Slug Princess is still holed up."

He slinks past Naruto and towards Hinata, tasting the air with his tongue. To no one in particular he whispers, "Ah, another pregnant female?"

Naruto steps over the snake and into Sakura's home, calling out to her. Just as he rounds the corner, she opens up her bedroom door and greets him with wearied confusion and puffy, swollen cheeks. Tucking her recently placed tee-shirt into the waistband of her skirt, she regards him. "Naruto?"

"Sakura, hey," the man says, ensnaring her in a bear-like hug. Her eyes are sore from crying, and his embrace is just what she needed. He smelled like ramen and fresh air.

"Oh, Sakura, are you alright?" Hinata asks. She's stopped waiting for permission when entering Sakura's home—her husband was too quick for that. Sakura peels away from him and falls into the white-eyed woman's arms, careful not to add any pressure on her budding midsection.

"It's been an incredibly long day."

Naruto notices a sloshing noise, and turns his head to her restroom. Water has made its way over the rolled-towel barrier, and the tiled floors were shining with the oily liquid. "I guess that's why Sasuke asked be to bring this?"

"He…he spoke with you?"

Sakura wasn't sure why he'd been gone for so long. The walk to her house took only ten minutes on a good day. She wouldn't blame him if he hightailed out of her life. Getting in between one of the famous Haruno mother/daughter battles could scare even the most hardened of ninja.

Still, it kind of…hurt. But, she knew it was bound to happen. Good things rarely lasted.

"Yeah, he called us about thirty minutes ago. What happened, anyways?"

Sakura takes a deep breath, running through the bare bones of the entire ordeal. "I overfilled my bathtub and got into a fight with my mother while Sasuke was here. I haven't even gotten to shower after my 'spar' with Hinata. As if my day can't get any worse, I still have to clean up _that,_ before Ahiru gets here in a few hours…"

The Kyuubi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Naruto was a kind man. He was caring and gentle and bright and charismatic. It's probably one of the reasons Hinata had fallen so hard for him. In her family, being graceful and proper came before any other emotions, and Naruto could so easily offer his generosity like it was his second nature.

"Say, why don't you take my wife to that bathhouse in central?" He announces. "You remember the one, right? When you stole Sasuke's towel right off of his ass?"

Sakura smiles shyly at the memory, but rolls her eyes in response. "I'd love to do that. But, I'm sure it will be closed by the time I finish cleaning and doing laundry. I won't have time."

With a glimmering grin and a heartfelt wink, Naruto offers a thumbs-up that could rival even that of Rock Lee's and, dare she say it—Gai Sensei. "That's why I'm here! I'll fix everything as good as new, believe it!"

"Oh, Naruto," She begins, ready to deny him. It was too out of his way, too much of a hassle. She'd been taught to fix her own mistakes, to deal with the blows and figure out a resolution. As a single female, living all alone, Sakura hadn't been able to rely on anyone in a while. "I couldn't—"

Mamushi takes this moment to enter the home, staying as far away from Sakura as possible. Snakes and slugs didn't really get along. The fact that even his most dreadful of poisons wouldn't work on her made him feel suffocated in her presence. "I am…obliged to offer my assistance. So please, Head Mistress, go..."

His tail can hold a wrench, at least. He could even wipe the floor a bit. Mamushi would really do anything to get the primagravida Slug Princess out of her home and away from him.

Toot sweet.

Before Sakura can utter another protest, Hinata grabs her by the hand and tugs her towards the door. She looked exhausted and mentally drained—years older than her true age. A good bath and a heart-to-heart beckoned them.

Blowing a feathery kiss to her husband, who caught it in his palm and slapped it to his mouth, Hinata bounded out of the home with Sakura curled around her arm.

Naruto's heated cheeks only lasted a brief moment before he looked at the snake beside him and narrowed his eyes. Crossing long, orange clad arms the Kyuubi-man bit out: "Alright, you flamboyant, over-grown worm—tell me why everything smells like sex in this goddamn house. **What do you know** , and **what the hell is going on**?"

 _Funny,_ Mamushi thought, _I don't think snakes are supposed to be afraid of frogs. Why am I shaking?_

* * *

Being around Naruto had certainly started to influence her, and it was for the better. Hinata was still reserved and a bit timid, but opening up to her friends had gotten much easier. Bonding with her peers had been limited to the equally strange, but equally important Kiba and Shino—the three leveled with one another and spent many a night relishing each other's company and friendship.

But Hinata's bond with Sakura was a little bit...more.

In a way, Hinata felt like she owed Sakura. She was the push that ultimately led to her Naruto—to the love, to the first kiss, to the happily-ever-after that seemed like a silly, childish daydream in her head. Now, as a young woman, she was married and expecting her first child. Oh, life was so strange.

The winds of change blew heavily in her favor, and if possible, she would bestow the blessing upon Sakura.

After a leisurely stroll towards the middle of Konoha, the women paid for their baths and made their way to the shower area. Hinata wasn't much of a talker, and Sakura enjoyed the fact, because that left her free to communicate with her **Inner Sakura** without interruption.

As she argued back-and-forth with her subconscious about whether Sasuke would be long gone or hard at work beside Naruto right now, Sakura followed her long-haired friend into the onsen. Together they sunk under the hot liquid. The water left her skin feeling soft as the exfoliators and minerals seeped through her pores. She soaks a spare rag and plops it atop her already damp hair, enjoying the steam and the therapeutic heat.

The aches in her muscles cease to exist and the weightlessness of the deep bath decompresses her spine, popping trapped nitrogen and carbon dioxide bubbles from the fluid between her joints. In all, it's just what Sakura needed after an eventful 24 hours.

Wait, had it even been 24 hours…?

"Sasuke and you…" Hinata begins, tapping the ends of her index fingers together. "I uh, saw the marks…"

Sakura's thin eyebrows turn up. She's thankful that her cheeks are already flushed from the bath, but feels the familiar tingle dance around the tops of her hears and the nape of her neck. It seemed their thinking was on the same wavelength. "Oh…I…yeah…"

To be honest, she'd forgotten about the hickeys. It felt as though they were permanent fixtures to her body now—like being with Sasuke physically changed her and added all sorts of freckles and sprinkles.

Some women liked jewelry to keep them connected to their loved ones. Sakura wanted a few scars to take Sasuke with her. Physical proof of where he'd been—of where he'd explored. Something to look at as a decrepit old woman with only her memories to keep her company.

She thinks back to when she saw the rough stripes on Naruto's smooth back, during their training in the Forest of Death. He had just taken off his shirt to plow through the water when the flaming scratches caught her eye. Hinata hadn't healed them, because they both wanted them to remain.

Sakura understood now.

Smiling silently to herself, she dips a bit lower into the water and blows a few bubbles out to the surface.

"I'm very happy for you." Hinata beams, and though the mist makes her face hazy, Sakura can sense the light coming off of her. Sakura had always heard that pregnant women "glowed" and Hinata was a living testament to the fact. The woman uses her towel to dampen her cheeks, never losing her demure grin.

There weren't very many people in the bathing area, so there wasn't a real need for the women to keep their voices down. Still, Sakura paddles to her side, because talking about _this_ felt like the biggest secret in the world, and she couldn't contain it must longer. She just _had_ to tell someone.

She just _had_ to say it aloud.

Sakura was still processing everything. Their first kiss had been mere weeks ago, and already they'd taken each other. It was like a floodgate of emotions had opened. Years of bashful touches and wanton thoughts and "come hither" looks finally exploded into an all-night, and-again-in-the-morning, and-again-on-the-floor-of-her-hallway escapade.

It wasn't enough, though. It would probably _never_ be enough. She was so in love she couldn't stand it. "I…I'm happy for me too. I've never been this happy."

It was strange for Sakura to admit it. In her youth, Sasuke had been the reason for her orbit. She revolved around him, he was her _world_. But when he left, and after the initial shock and tremors left her broken, but alive, Sakura had to rebuild her entire ecosystem by hand. She'd learned to rely on herself, first and foremost. Her missions were tough, and her training was agonizing, but it was all _worth it_ because she was _worth it._

It was all worth it because _Sasuke_ was worth it. And he'd never know just how much both she and Naruto cared for him, and just how much they were willing to do to bring him back.

But her love was different from Naruto's. Her love was different from her mothers, and Itachi's.

Sakura loved a lot of things, that was true. She loved her childhood cat, (who only had one eye) and her grandmother (who, coincidentally _also_ only had one eye), and the coffee mug she kept hidden until the first snowfall of the year, every year. (Don't worry, the mug is eye-less.) She loved all of these things.

This was different than those kinds of "love". It was an indescribable pull that yanked at her very bones. Seeing Sasuke was like seeing the walking corpse of someone you thought would never belong to you—someone that would never come back.

But, he did come back. And Sakura touched his soul last night, and smiles knowing that it joined so well with her own. Sasuke was back, Sasuke had been hers, if only for a moment, and that entanglement was something she'd never forget.

"I think that…he's very...protective of you." Hinata says, running her palm over her hidden belly. She was only a month along and barely showing, but she knew the child that thrived in her womb. Soon she wouldn't be able to enjoy such warm baths, so she would savor the relaxation for as long as possible.

When Hinata answered the telephone earlier, she couldn't figure out who was speaking. The voice was familiar but the tone was off. Sasuke sounded so…relaxed, and it confused her. She'd never heard such a mellow timbre.

He'd asked for a favor. Sasuke didn't demand, or bark, or plea. The raven-haired man simply asked: " _Will you tell Naruto to come to Sakura's? She needs him…and a water-vacuum."_

Both Sasuke and Sakura needed Naruto in their own ways, so the fact that it was mentioned didn't surprise her in the least. Hinata would dare say that _everyone_ needed Naruto—or someone like him. Helpful, kind, and brutally honest when the situation called for it; he was simply a jack of all trades. (And the savoir of all of ninja-kind, but she digresses.)

She wants to tell Sakura more. Hinata wants to tell Sakura that she thinks something is growing between them...that she can almost _feel_ the love and the connection between the boy who thought he'd never experience love again, and the girl who thought her love would never reach him. But, before the two can continue, the familiar, orotund sound of Ino Yamanaka echo's around the false environment like a sonic boom.

"Well, if it isn't _Billboard Brow_ and Naruto's Baby Momma! Fancy meeting you two here!"

Ino was fun. Ino was happy and silly and everything Sakura had ever wanted to be. She had always been a beauty in Sakura's eyes. Her skin was rosy, but fair, and her hair was a tawny shade of blonde that woman paid hundreds of Ryo for in solons every other month. China blue irises peeked from almost-white lashes, roaming over Sakura and Hinata in the way that only Ino could pull off.

Friendly, but dubious all at the same time.

"Ah, Ino, I'm so happy to see you!" Hinata greats wholeheartedly, moving slightly so that all three woman flanked one another. "We haven't all been together since we went to that party. What a wonderful coincidence."

Ino waves her hand in the air, as if batting away Hinata's words. "We're adults now. We can't possibly see each other all of the time. I'm just excited that we met up by happenstance—I've been meaning to speak with both of you!"

They exchange laughter and chatter while soaking up the earthy, skin-soothing minerals. To think, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata were all veterans of war at such young ages. The women relished moments like this, because they knew all-too-well just how fleeting they would be. Take Amu, for example, and Ahiru who would never get to know her father.

"I have an announcement." Ino says suddenly, causing Hinata and Sakura to turn towards her sharply. The woman twirls around in the water, letting her hip-length hair trap her in a loose tangle. "Sai is going to ask me to be his girlfriend, officially, as soon as he's back from his latest mission."

"You-you're not official yet?" Hinata asks, falling back into her habitual stutter. It seemed to come out at the most random of times. No one bothers asking how the bombshell _knew_ Sai was going to ask her.

"Well, not technically. I mean, we've gone on dates and messed around…I've stayed at his house a few nights and made him dinner…stuff like that. But he hasn't _asked_ and that's super important."

Hinata thinks back to her first, actual date with Naruto. The smell of Ichiraku and his shoulder brushing against hers—blushes and stutters and fumbling chopsticks even though they'd kissed on the _moon_ only weeks prior. They waited a whole month before locking lips again, and three months to get married.

But, Hinata didn't think Naruto had ever _asked_ her to be anything but his wife.

She turns to look at Sakura who is dipped low into the bath, letting her hair float along the top layer of water. Here lately her moods have been up and down—she dithered from careful politeness, to self-doubt, to random spells of anger and fake smiles.

Now, she was being carefully polite. "I'm happy for you. You and Sai make a wonderful couple."

Ino is all smiles, which is truly a wonderful sight. She dunks her hair fully into the water and when she comes back up, steam swirls around her head like a halo. "Almost everyone is in a relationship now. I'm so happy for _us._ "

Sakura's eyes go wide and she looks towards Hinata, giving off her best, " _How would she know?"_ look.

Because, **how** ** _would_** **she know**?

But Ino was her best friend, and as her best friend, Sakura knew that _Ino knew everything_. She could find even the most hidden of secrets. Perhaps it was just a Yamanaka trait—or perhaps it was just an _Ino_ thing, but regardless, Sakura knew there was no point in lying.

Ino could read Sakura like a book.

"Oh," The blonde begins, twisting her lips into a sly smirk. "Was it supposed to be a secret? The whole town is talking about it, so there's no use in hiding."

"The…whole _town?"_

Now, _this_ was unusual. How on earth would all of Konoha know about her and Sasuke? After all, Sasuke and Sakura don't even know what _they_ are!

Sakura bites he lip. She's not sure if she feels dizzy from the revelation, or from the heat of the bath. She stands up fully, exposing the tops of her breasts as she looms nose-to-nose with Ino.

"Who all knows?"

Is this why Sasuke was gone so long with her mother? Had her mother found out?

Wait…what…what was there to find out? That woman already knew the just of it! Her mother had walked in on them, after all…

Ino is scanning Sakura's body, eyeing the scattered dots of maroon bruises that proved the loose gossip. "Does that matter? I'm curious about the _details_. How was it? Is he _big_? Looks like he's a bit rougher than I'd imagined..."

Sakura's eyebrows draw together. "Is he big? What…? I mean...you've seen him, haven't you?"

Ino looks…offended by the question—as if Sakura had said something absolutely outlandish. "I don't just sleep with everyone, you know! Of course I haven't seen him!"

Sakura looks down into the water, at the green-tinted reflection that rippled her features. She worked through the questions in her mind—Ino had certainly seen Sasuke nude. It was before the second part of the Exams in _this very place._ She'd called her the next day, gushing about it, thanking Sakura for stealing his towel.

And anyways...how would the whole town know what was going on? Sakura wasn't _that_ popular...

Something wasn't adding up.

"Ino…who do you think I'm sleeping with?"

The woman scoffs and turns to Hinata, as if the black-haired woman would respond for her. When Hinata made no move to answer, and darted pearl-eyes between the two, Ino withdrew a frustrated sigh and broke the silence.

"Do chocolate eyes, a plain face, and brown hair ring a bell? Obviously I'm speaking about Yuma Hojo."

Sakura laughs. Literally laughs, right there, with her two best friends directly by her side and warm water all around her. "What the hell kind of idiot would believe I'm sleeping with _that_ guy!"

Ino is confused—utterly confused. "I…didn't believe it either…but I asked him. He said that you've been dating for a few days. And the other night…a bunch of people saw him leave your house late. Now with the evidence staring at me right in the face…" She says, pointing towards the visible marks that can only be left from a naked spar, or a few good rounds of great sex... "…What else am I supposed to believe?"

And all of a sudden Sakura sends a burst of chakra to the flatness of her feet, forcing her body to stand atop the mineral water. With shocked eyes, Ino follows the creamy, not-so-childlike curves of her best friend's body just as Sakura hisses out venom.

"I am **_not_** fucking Yuma-goddamn-Hojo. I'm going to kill him!"

The anger radiating off of her is almost palpable. Ino was smart enough to step a few inches back, and she runs into Hinata in the process. With a quiet whisper, she asks: "If she's not with Hojo, then who…"

And when Hinata says, "Sasuke Uchiha, of course..."

Ino feels the very earth shatter around her.

Sakura's done the impossible—and Ino simply can ** _not_** believe it.

She won't believe it...

She _can't._

 ** _Because…how?_**

Sakura is long gone before she has the chance to ask.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Yay! Finally finished. Sorry i'm an hour late with my post, I tried really hard and I'm so tired. Look for the next chapter on Monday! And let me know what you think. I know I haven't added much comedy here lately, so the next chapter will have more fluff and a bit of comedy/enlightenment? And I think the exams should start after that! Gah, I hate it, but were getting closer! I'll add an after story and maybe a conjoining oneshot to this. Then, I'll go back and re-read all of my old chapters, die of embarrassment, and fix all of the mistakes as best as I can.**

 **It's been such a fun ride with you all. I'm hoping for 50 chapters (Once, I said 30 chapters for this story, so don't believe me.), so keep hanging on and let's see how this ends! What did Sasuke talk with Sakura's mother about? He didn't seem too happy with her! He's not disrespectful, is he? Did anyone catch anything revealing in this chapter? What do you think of Ino's reaction to her best friend winning their old rivalry bet? Ino is NOT in love with Sasuke, don't worry. But she's still aggressive about "losing", though. Hehe. I guess Sai is gonna have to hurry and ask her out!**

 **I'm sorry for my mistakes. As always, let me know where they are. Make me better, for YOU. So I can make more stories that are readable.**

 **With love, as always.**

 **-Brittany**


	41. Chapter 41: Why was he jealous?

Chapter 41: Why was he jealous?

Naruto hated whatever smell Sakura put in her bath water. Really, he did. It was like...minty...vanilla? But that wasn't the worst part. It was so damn...slick. After a good 20 minutes of scrubbing, the floors were still slippery with a layer of essential oil that made his ninja-sandals glide over the linoleum even as he dried up the last bit of water. He'd stolen a large fan from Sakura's bedroom to help with the wetness, and took notice of the...disarray.

Looking at Mamushi, Naruto grinds his molars together. "You're not much help, ya know."

Mamushi was every bit of his father's son. Snobbish and proud with a chip on his shoulder— _wait, snakes don't have shoulders?_ Naruto hated that type of personality, nonetheless, and it radiated off of his scales like a bad cold.

The snake plops his head upon the bathroom counter, causing a stray pebble to dislodge from under the sink. With a, "Aren't you going to pick that up?" look, Mamushi turns back towards his reflection with a narcissistic smile.

Just as Naruto bends down to pick up the rock, three rapid knocks bound on Sakura's front door. With a mop in one hand and a pebble in the other, the elite ninja slides into the hallway just in time for Hojo to let himself in.

"Ah, Naruto, what a surprise to see you here—is Sakura not home yet?"

Naruto didn't seem to have a lot of good luck. He was trapped between two snakes—one literally and one figuratively. He didn't particularly care for Sakura's overly friendly boyfriend who had no problem barging into her home at all times.

But, he did have a soft-spot for the toddler on his hip, and Ahiru sent him a gummy grin that set his heart on fire.

"She's with my wife," He says carefully, walking past the man and into the kitchen. After putting up the mop and washing his hands, he turns to face Hojo with bright red cheeks.

"I can, uh, watch Ahiru until she gets back."

Because babies are just _so fucking cute_. They're not scary at all! HA! HA HA HA!

Hojo smiles in a way that reminds Naruto of Sai. Naruto was good at reading people and body language, even as a young boy. He remembers Sakura's fake smile before her fake confession. He remembers Sai's unfamiliar, tight-lipped grin as he awkwardly tried to give off the appearance of kindness.

Yep, Hojo smiled just like that.

"No, it's alright. I'll just wait for her."

It seemed dropping off Ahiru was the least of his worries.

Mamushi could smell the territorial scent this man gave off from his position in the bathroom. He was under strict orders from Lord Sasuke to personally keep Sakura as safe as possible from any and all threats.

As much as he didn't care for the pink-haired Sanin, an order was an order. His father's death had sealed a contract between the two that only another death could break. Neither Sasuke nor Mamushi planned on passing anytime soon, so he'd simply have to bite the bullet and follow command.

Sliding down the hallway, the pit-viper leered to his full height behind Naruto, turning slit, orange eyes towards Hojo. "If you wait too long, Lord Sasuke will arrive."

Hojo opened his stance, ready to meet the serpents hostility.

He was not a big fan of snakes. As a young boy, working with his grandfather, he'd come across all sorts of slithery creatures curled up under rocks and rubble as the construction workers rebuilt what years of war and ninja battles had destroyed.

Killing a snake was simple. All it took was a heavy smash to the head from a large rock—flinging the tubular body against a hard surface—smashing the thing with the heel of your boot. This thing was only a neonate compared to the colossal serpents found in the Forest of Death.

Still, something about it gave off a…menacing vibe.

Clutching his niece close to his hip, Hojo took a step backwards. "Sakura's supposed to babysit today. Where is she, Naruto?"

Things just weren't adding up to Hojo. Was she, by any chance, in danger? Naruto trusted that Sasuke guy so easily…what if he'd done something to her?

"I've already told you, she's with my wife—"

A feeling of terror suddenly surrounded the blue-eyed Naruto. Even the tall-standing Mamushi dipped down low in response to the sickening shockwave. It was like pure adrenaline mixed with anger and poison. Chakra billowed from a few meters away, nearing the three rapidly.

Naruto knew this chakra all-too well.

And she was one pissed off kunoichi.

* * *

The ends of her hair whipped harshly against her cheeks. They were still wet from her short, unrelenting bath. As the sun danced along the horizon, the temperature of the evening started to fall. In a short skirt, a thin, white tee, and wet hair, Sakura was sure she looked just was maniacal and cold as she felt.

She jumped over her neighbor's rooftop and landed on her front porch in less than a second. It was the same old scene—wooden floorboards, a decrepit looking wreath, and the familiar worn groove right by the keyhole where she habitually jammed her key incorrectly. Normally the sight of her humble abode took the weight of the world right off of her shoulders. Not this time, however. She was a mission.

Sakura had scanned almost all of Konoha in search of Yuma Hojo.

To say she was angry was an understatement. She missed the days of insignificancy, when her thoughts and opinions mattered to no one but herself, and when she could do almost whatever she pleased without any backlash. Back before she ran a hospital, back before she aided in saving all of ninja-dom.

Being a household name had never really been a dream of hers. In her adolescent fantasies, being an Uchiha was _everything_. Even the popularity that came with the name got her giddy. But as time moved on, and as she matured, Sakura realized being popular wasn't what she thought it would be. Having people care about what you wore or how much you ate or who you were with was a foreign concept, and unbelievably annoying.

As of right now, Sakura could name three things that pissed her off about this silly rumor Hojo helped spread.

One: The fact that her love life was so interesting to the general public.

Two: The fact that she had less than a week left with Sasuke, and he undoubtedly heard she was with another man.

And Three: The fact that _never in a million years_ would she date Yuma Hojo!

Call her ignorant. Call her selfish, or childish, or whatever you will. Still, Sakura knew it would be Sasuke or no one.

In many ways, she was Tsunade made over. Her care and admiration for her friends—for the people she loved—was too strong to bother with anything less than _real._ If it were possible for her to fall in love all over again, she'd welcome it. But her soul was connected to Sasuke Uchiha, and it would always be.

Sasuke knew she couldn't have children. She knew that, maybe to Sasuke, their rendezvous were just an insignificant fling to him. Her mind understood this, and yet, none of it mattered. With less than a week left before the Exams—before Sasuke set back on his journey—Sakura couldn't let this rumor continue to spread.

She was Sakura, the Doer, and she _did_ what had to be done.

Starting here.

Sakura kicks the door open to her home and walks in on a three-way stalemate, reminiscent of the old western films her grandfather used to watch. Neither Naruto nor Mamushi turn towards her, but the broad back of Yuma Hojo tilts so he can face his would-be girlfriend fully. And with a small, genuine grin, he crinkles his eyes and says: "Oh, you're back! I've brought Ahiru to you. My sister is going to work early."

This isn't exactly what she expected.

Naruto crosses his arms and juts one foot out, never keeping his blue eyes off of the strange foe ahead of him.

Maybe his distrust stemmed from the fake smiles and overly affectionate demeanor the guy put off. Maybe Naruto didn't like him because, every time Sakura showed up, he turned into some bumbling fool who tripped over his words as much as his own two feet.

Maybe Naruto didn't like him because, after all the delving and digging he did through this guy's profile (honestly, sneaking past Kakashi was _hard.)_ he couldn't find _one bad thing_ about him.

Maybe Naruto didn't like him because...he was a threat to Team 7's dynamic, and that's what scared him the most.

He didn't want things to change.

Hojo volunteered a lot. Hojo donated a percentage of his salary to the orphanages of Konoha, every week. He'd taken in Amu and Ahiru after Amu's husband had died during the war, and he still helps pay for her rent and utilities as she works through the heavy decrease in pay she'd been given after trying to murder Sasuke. (Totally her fault, but still.)

The only fault in this guys personality was his shitty flirting game.

Naruto was selfish, he knew. Sakura deserved happiness, even if it meant they'd all have to...grow up, and move on with their lives as everything _but_ Konoha's Team 7.

With a disarming smile, the blond greets his teammate. All he'd ever wanted was her to be happy. "Boy, you don't seem too relaxed after that bath, Sakura! At least your bathroom is finished, no thanks to _this_ guy."

Naruto smacks Mamushi upside the head, resulting in him being smothered with a complete python-like wrap.

Sakura is recovering from her anger. She looks at her friend, then to the snake curled around him, and finally back to Hojo. Ahiru waves her arms around frantically, wanting to be held.

"She want's you." Hojo says, stepping closer. "Here you go,"

His arm brushes Sakura's side as he transfers the baby carefully, smiling as she tangles a fist in the woman's pale, puce locks. He reaches up without any qualms and untangles Ahiru's hand carefully.

As he touches her, a series of things roll around Sakura's head. Looking at the tiny girl cradled in her arms, Sakura knows that now is not the time, nor the place to break every bone in Hojo's body. And Sakura isn't really sure she's willing to do that, until she's spoken with him.

Spreading false rumors was awful, but in a town as big as Konoha, the occasional slip up was bound to happen. She'd never been the butt of this kind of situation, but it wasn't as if she'd never been told, (or spread) misinterpreted gossip before.

Her own mother had said it—there were quite a few men (and women) leaving her house at all hours of the night right after the war. Konoha needed money, so more people were deployed, and many people steered clear of the hospital unless it was life-threating. The wrath of Lady Tsunade was not one to be teased.

So yes, the fact that Hojo was showing up more often, without any injuries, must have set off a warning for the nosier inhabitants of her village. Sasuke would hardly ever use the front door, so his comings and goings were bound in secrecy.

Ino said she heard the news right from Hojo's mouth, though, so there was still something to be discussed.

"I thought I left my stove on," Sakura says lamely. "I left Hinata behind with Ino."

Naruto laughs and babbles on, a nervous tic of his. As he explains how hard it was to mop up the mess of her bathroom—which she apologized for again—she notices that Naruto is rolling a rock around his thumb and pointing finger.

It's the stone Sasuke gave her.

She's thrown back into the matter at hand.

"Hojo, I need to speak with you in private."

The brown-haired man's cheeks heat up and he rubs the spot under his strong nose. "Uh, yeah, s-sure Sakura..."

"I can watch Ahiru," Naruto says softly. "Really, I can. Hinata and I need the practice."

Sakura watches as Hojo agrees, giving Naruto a run-though about the Do's and Don'ts of childrearing and what kind of items are packed in the little girls baby bag.

"Hinata has a lot of cousins and she helped take care of Hanabi when she was little," Naruto says. "I'm going to pick her up from central Konoha and we'll be at my house for the rest of the evening…so…I guess when you're done Sakura, you can pick up the baby."

Soon, Naruto is headed out the door with Ahiru in his arms, a bag over his shoulder, and the complete absence of the vacuum he'd brought over earlier that day.

Before he leaves Sakura's porch, he passes her the pebble and says, "Sorry, I forgot to throw that away!"

And thank goodness he didn't. That small stone is more valuable than gold and diamonds.

When the door shuts, and Mamushi decides he needs to retire to the rooftop until Sasuke no longer needed his services, Sakura takes a seat and rolls the stone around her palm, because she needs to be the mean girl and cut this off.

Hojo is respectful of his distance, but takes his place by her side.

Sakura is not sure where to begin, or what to say. It was easier as a young girl, telling Rock Lee to back off, and telling Naruto to stop bothering her. But as a woman, she knows just how hard it is to fall in love and know that your feelings can never be returned. She knows the heartbreak all-too well. With a deep breath, she thinks of what to say. And just as she musters up the right words, Hojo interjects.

"This is about what I told Ino the other day, isn't it?"

Using her thumb to scrape off caked on dirt from her "engagement" rock, she replies. "Yeah, it is."

He sighs like a defeated man. Heartbroken and saddened beyond belief. "I figured. I'm sorry if it caused you any trouble."

"Why…why would you tell her something like that, if you knew it wasn't true?"

Smiling softly, he brushes his knee against her pale, uncovered thigh. "I guess it's because I want it to _be_ true."

Sakura knows that feeling. But they are not children. He cannot have something simply because he wants it.

She is not a possession to covet, either.

"I know that you have feelings for me." She begins, "But spreading around rumors—telling people that we're an item when you haven't even asked me to be your girlfriend—that's wrong. And as much as I want to pound you into the ground, I know that I can't. You're a good person, so just..."

He looks up at her, and in those plain brown eyes she sees colors that she's never seen before. Flecks of amber and ochre and a strange, green hue bloom forth. They are the eyes of the innocent.

"I'll make it right," Hojo says, boldly taking her hand. "I know what I need to do."

The weight that lifts off of Sakura's shoulders makes her feel as though she could walk on air. Because the hard part is over, and she has let him down easy; there was no need to knock him out and leave him in a heap outside of her door. "Plan B" as she had so eloquently named it.

Man, she needed to give Sasuke a few lessons on how to turn someone down...

"So, we're good then? We're on the same page?" The emerald-eyed woman asks.

Standing up, Hojo gives her another genuine smile. "We are. I'm very sorry for saying that to Ino—I misspoke and it won't happen again."

And as he heads out of her door, she finally feels as though her life is stitching itself back up together. Drama is becoming easier and easier to fix, and being an adult isn't as hard as everyone said it would be.

Dropping her stone into the pocket of her skirt, Sakura makes her way into the kitchen for some gummy fruit snacks and her favorite brand of juice box, promising herself she'll pick up Ahiru after her nap.

Mebuki's sarcastic voice fills her head: " _Oh yes, you're a real adult, taking naps and eating kid-foods!"_

Che.

* * *

It was starting to get colder and colder. The thickness of his cloak battled with the cold-front that had blown in, and the scent of snow and rainfall clouded his nostrils. Though he was born in July, he'd always had an affinity for the chillier months. Walking through the chill, however, was not exactly enjoyable.

Sasuke feels just as airless as Sakura does, but not in the bubbly sense. More like...he's having an out-of-body experience.

After all, he never thought he'd be the type of guy to ask a girl's father for her hand in marriage.

There are a lot of things Sakura leads him to do, that he never pictured himself doing.

…Falling in love, for starters.

He watches his puffy outbreath escape his lips as he pushes down the adrenalin of meeting the Haruno's. They certainly were an odd bunch.

Sakura's father, Kizashi, is big and burly and gentle and kind all at once—the complete opposite of his blonde-haired, fire-eyed wife. He had welcomed her in, calling out both Sakura and Mebuki's name from his place at their dining room table.

" _Sakura, darling, you're finally here!"_

Imagine his surprise when the last Uchiha—the God of War and of Lightening and of Fire, the co-savoir of the _entire world_ —walked into his humble family home with a permanent scowl on his clear, pale face.

Sakura's parent's house wasn't what he expected at all. Sakura wasn't necessarily a tidy woman—she left her clothes on the ground and dishes in the sink and rarely cooked any kind of elaborate meal—but still, nothing looked _cluttered._

In this place, there were knickknacks lined self upon shelf. Percaline figurines of various types of animals greeted him high and low. Caricatures of the Hokage's—bathed in brass—guarded the entryway with goofy grins and overly exaggerated poses.

Their home smelled of spicy curry, and not of flowers like Sakura's did.

His family had no use for such silly objects.

" _My, what a surprise it is to see you!"_

Sasuke had been hugged by a few daring people in his life—mostly women. He had never been keen on touch. Getting engulfed in the thick arms of the purple-haired Kizashi was new for him, and just as unpleasant as his mind imagined it to be.

" _If **this** is a surprise, you should see what I saw." _ Mebuki said lowly as she removes her coat. Although she's like a bat out of hell, the older mother takes Sasuke's cloak from his shoulders and hangs it upon her coatrack. Just like Sakura, she is made to care and support, regardless of her feelings for that person at the moment.

Slapping Sasuke's back, Sakura's father guffaws and leads the young man to the table. " _Well, I'd love to hear all about it but let's eat first!"_

 _"_ _Aren't you wondering where your daughter is, dear?"_

Kizashi rolled his eyes. " _I'm sure you'll tell me alllll about it tonight, right?"_

And that's how Sasuke ended up over-feeding himself on seafood curry, seasoned with an array of spicy ingredients that still have his mouth on fire. No wonder Sakura hated hot foods—her father's cooking could down a fucking horse.

Sasuke, however, _enjoyed_ peppery meals.

He rounds the corner and passes a barber shop. It's nearing eight o'clock, but some stores stayed open longer than the rest. A man passes through the door and brushes stray, freshly cut strands of hair off of his shoulders. Sasuke catches his reflection in the window and pauses, staring down the purple-and-black-eyed man that was his own reflection.

 _"_ _So, what brings you here, boy? You're not planning on marrying my daughter, are you?"_

It was supposed to be a funny jab. Kizashi probably spouted out the most unimaginable phrase he could think of. Like saying, " _You're not here to rob me blind and take all of my valuables, are you?"_

And while he laughs, and Mebuki seethes, Sasuke simply responds. " _I'm already married to her._ "

The quite the man gives off is, in some way, uncomfortable. It's kind of amazing how he could go from red-in-the-face laughter to dead-eyed wonder. Mebuki, however, reacts just the opposite.

Stretching out a confused grin, she blurts out: " _What are you talking about?"_ with a hopeful chime.

So, Sasuke tells them his clan's secrets. He tells them of the unspoken rule—how an Uchiha could marry anyone he pleases without actual documentation from the Hokage or other officials. He tells them things that are hidden away in the archives of forgotten crypts, meant only for the eyes and ears of his red-eyed brethren.

" _Sakura is free to do what she pleases."_ He finished with a soft voice. _"But I won't belong to anyone but her. I've decided."_

Narrowing his eyes, Kizashi places his water down on the table. " _Why...would you choose something like that?"_

Sasuke blinked, because he never wondered _why_. He just...wanted to. In many ways, Sasuke was spoiled. But he worked hard to make his dreams come true, and anything he wanted done, he would simply do it.

Thankfully, he was not as passionate about destroying the Leaf, or killing his comrades as he was of killing Itachi.

 _"It's not a choice I have any sway over. It will only be Sakura,"_

Mebuki and her husband were dissimilar on every level. As mentioned before, she's a small, compact woman with hideous strength and aggressive undertones. At the mere mention of marriage, she'd turned from wildebeest to caring mother-in-law. Kizashi, however, only met Sasuke with hostility.

" _Was it "only Sakura" when you abandoned her and your countrymen?"_

That was a normal reaction. Sasuke expected as much—no—even more, considering he'd raised his hand to her twice. He could only assume Sakura hadn't told them much of his misdeeds during his transgression.

Taking his own sip of clear, clean water, Sasuke dabs his mouth before he responds. "Yes, even then. _"_

He found himself, in many ways, like his former sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Once Rin and had died, there had been no one else for him.

That's not to say she didn't have eyes for Obito or anything, but he digresses.

Mebuki had whistled lowly and heeled her palm to her chin. " _If you plan on marrying her simply for powerful offspring, you're out of luck."_

" _She is no walking womb."_ Sasuke had said. " _Children are the least of my worries._ "

Now it's Kizashi's turn. " _So, what exactly are you getting out of this "husband" thing? What is the point of being with her exclusively, when she doesn't even know what you're offering? I just don't get it, kid."_

Sasuke didn't quite know how to answer that. Not just yet. " _There is no point, if I'm honest. I simply want to be with her."_

" _And you didn't think asking us—her parents—before you did anything like this was…I don't know…important?"_ Mebuki interjects.

 _"It's not your decision to make. She's of age, is she not?"_

Now, he is back in reality. After a few more cold steps, Sasuke sees Sakura's home. It is a shining beacon in this narrow alleyway, filled with all sorts of smells that aren't so foreign to him anymore. Now, late evening dinners and the broken voices of chattering families brought on a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps, during his travels, it will be just one more thing that would remind him of what he'd left back in Konoha.

As he nears, tucking his cloak tighter against his body, Sakura's boyfriend walks from her home with a bounce in his step and redness to his cheeks.

Dark as the night, and silent as a graveyard, the sable-haired Uchiha stands still in that passageway, fighting off the strange, new feeling that started to engulf his spirit and soul.

Sakura is _not_ an object. Her body belongs to no one but herself.

But then, why did he feel so enraged by this man's presence?

Why, more than anything, did Sasuke feel the sudden tug of his hidden, murderous instincts yanking deeply within his chest?

Why, in God's name, did he feel so possessive...so...jealous?

"Oh," Hojo says, suddenly noticing the new arrival. "You're back so soon?"

"It seems that way." He responds, wondering why he even bothered to say anything at all. Sidestepping the man, Sasuke bounds up the steps and places his hand on the doorknob. He doesn't enter, though, because the brown-haired man still lingers and Sasuke wants him to say something that will give him the perfect excuse to pick Hojo's teeth out of the flesh of his fist.

"She won't be with for much longer, you know."

The wind howls tauntingly between the two men. Sasuke turns, wanting to hear more words fall from this idiots mouth. Sasuke could handle truths, though. And Hojo wasn't wrong in the least.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned with the present?"

"No," Hojo retorts. "I want her for the future. You can cling to the past all you want. You can even embrace what you two have right now...but...in the end, you'll leave and she'll be all alone again. It will be me that picks up the pieces."

Sasuke _could_ handle truths.

"She'll move onto bigger and better things...bigger and better _people_ once you abandon her again."

Sasuke stares at the keyhole now—at the groves and notches from unsuccessful unlocking attempts—and lets out a barely audible sigh. This woman that they had both fallen in love with was a real mess. She was loud and obnoxious and blunt. She was a bit of a diva at times, and clumsy when nervous.

There was more to Sakura than Hojo would ever know. He would never be able to compare his feelings...his insignificant crush...to Sasuke's.

And as old habits tended to die hard, the Uchiha looks over his shoulder and pierces Sakura's brown-haired boyfriend with a look he reserved for his most hated enemies. If Sakura was going to choose someone other than him, he'd be damned if Yuma Hojo was the best choice.

"If she is going to move on to "bigger and better", I don't suppose I need to worry about you."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **How are ya'll doing? Happy 2017!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's a bit of filler. We're nearing the end, I see it! Sasuke spoke with the Haruno fambam, and he's kind of...the same cocky, asshole he's always been. XD That's why I love him! But...maybe...he's not all that bad? I hope I didn't stray too far off of his character. He's so difficult to write!**

 **And no, Sakura didn't kick Hojo's ass. He had a baby with him! And she knows he's a good person...he's just...an idiot. Sadly, this isn't the end of Hojo if you can tell...**

 **Also, Naruto and Sasuke still don't know Hojo isn't her boyfriend. Lol. She just never...thought they would actually believe SHE WOULD GET WITH HOJO BECAUSE SHE'S IN LOVE WITH SASUKE WHY WOULD THEY THINK THAT.**

 **Thanks for all of your comments and reviews and your support. Remember to check back up on me here in about a week! Love you all!**


	42. Chapter 42: I have man-hands!

Chapter 42: You're telling me I have man-hands?

"Alright you sorry sons of bitches—and my beautiful wife…who looks like an angel sitting over there under that tree with my firstborn nestled in her—"

" Naruto, please…" Hinata murmurs as the group looks towards her. She's bundled up in the thickest jacket Konoha had to offer, and she still looks unbearably cold. The fogginess of the day blurs the tone of her skin and hair, and somehow this makes her look more like a celestial being than a normal kunoichi.

And perhaps if she squinted, Sakura could see Kaguya Otsutsuki's likeness.

Shuddering as she raises her gloved hand, she snaps her fingers to grab Naruto's attention. "Alright, _boss_ , what exactly is the plan for today?"

Her sarcasm is lost on him. Gaining a military-like dominance, the blond turns his nose up to the blue-white sky and belts out his first order of business; the warm-up. "Run three-hundred laps around the village!"

His subordinates, however aren't too fond of his battle cry. No one moves an inch, and the chilly wind picks up the haughty attitude a certain someone one conveys.

"Um, how about "no"?" Ino says grouchily while rolling her eyes. "It's _December_ , I'm not running anywhere."

Naruto groans. "Why are you even here? Do you just invite yourself _everywhere_?"

"I didn't invite myself. I was at your house when you told "everyone" to meet you at the training grounds, doofus!"

"Why would I be talking about you?" Naruto complains, remembering the scene well. Ino had waited around, playing with Ahiru until both Sasuke and Sakura showed up to the Uzumaki abode. "You failed the exams, so I wasn't talking to _you._ This is a training session for winners only!"

She stomps on the ground, clearly offended by his rebuttal—however correct it may be. "Oh yeah, dickhead? Then why's your wife here?"

The two bicker, throwing insult after jab at one another. Although their fighting is hard on the ears, Sakura can't help but smile at it all. It feels like she's just a girl again. It feels like they've never been to war, or watched the life drain out of someone eyes by their own hand.

Sakura enjoyed moments like this, because it's almost as if "bad" didn't exist anymore. It's almost as if they can all pretend to be kids without any worries in the world except for the best comeback to a heavy insult.

Sasuke, however, loathes this familiarity.

Sakura can feel him shift beside her, switching pressure from his left to right foot. It is something he's done since youth. Just another quirk that ties Sasuke to his old self—the boy that Sakura fell in love with.

Her eyes wander over his frame discretely as she ignores the temperamental barking from her peers. The breeze picks up the tips of his bangs, letting them flop beyond his brow and over the tops of his ears like puppy of sorts. Sasuke's jaw is set, and his eyes are hard, like he's waiting for the worst to happen. His broad shoulders gave off the appearance of a pouncing tiger, though Sakura found him to be more dragon-like than feline.

It was funny how many animals he reminded her of. It all boiled down to one thing—Sasuke was pure muscle and instinct—born and bred for the life of the ninja.

With glazed vision, the man runs his thumb along the braided chain around his neck—one of three—all the way down to the strange ring attached. Sakura's eyes follow the movement, becoming entranced by his touch, even as his nail slides over the brilliant red gem.

"I'm the leader here! Listen to what I say, you bratty psycho! Who do you think you're calling an idiot, anyways? You're the one that's gonna die of exposure with that outfit you're wearing!"

Sakura looks over at Ino—who looks amazing in a long slit skirt, and a sleeved crop-top. Her narrow waist is wrapped with white fabric, accentuating the tapering that leads to her wide hips. Somehow, she pulls off the epitome of fashion even as she wraps Naruto in a neck-breaking chokehold until he's blue and frothing at the mouth.

Sakura is everything Ino isn't. She's frumpy; wearing her father's sweater and some leggings she's had for years, that she's pretty sure never belonged to her in the first place. She picks at the small balls of lint that adorn the surface, wondering when their training would start, so she can stop feeling like a helpless 12-year-old who's too busy ogling to actually workout.

Naruto is breathing again, and as he moves his hands atop his head to fill his lungs better, he throws a sucker-punch to the side of Ino's arm. He is triumphant for only a moment, because the woman kicks her booted heel to the soft spot of Naruto's knee, forcing him back down towards the ground.

"Enough,"

Everyone turns to Sasuke, who doesn't seem the slightest bit amused. He runs his eyes over the idiots adjacent to him. Really, why had he agreed to come out here anyways? It wasn't as if he needed any extra warmups or workouts. It seemed that, instead, he would be babysitting again.

Hadn't he done enough of that the night before? A flashback of a sleeping Sakura pours into his head. He remembers leading her to her bedroom, and staying up with the almost-one-year-old child until her mother retrieved her in the early hours of morning.

"Why are you here?"

Ino throws her ponytail over her shoulder, eying Sasuke with a look she reserved for her most hated enemies. "Who is Sakura going to train with once you and Naruto go at it? Neither of you have any self-control."

Her words, however, hold a double meaning.

Ino can't help but glare towards the cold-hearted Uchiha that was playing with Sakura's heart once more.

Perhaps it was awful of her to think the way she was. Ino knew that Sakura was beautiful, beyond doubt. Sakura was kind and sweet, and selfless and sophisticated and a million other words that only made up a small part of her character. If there was anyone more genuine with their feelings and philosophies, it was Naruto Uzumaki.

Funny how it seemed Sasuke fucked _both_ of them over in his life. had hurt her best friend so much these past few years.

Ino was absolutely shocked to hear that Sakura, was indeed, sleeping with Sasuke. She had heard Hojo himself claim to be her boyfriend, and that declaration sent an onslaught of butterflies and bubbles into the very pit of the Yamanaka's belly.

Because Sakura didn't deserve to get her heart broken again; because Sakura didn't deserve whatever the hell Sasuke was playing at. As beautiful and perfect as Sakura was, Ino knew there had to be a reason Sasuke was delving into such a relationship with her.

She wasn't stupid. If he thought he would have a new clan of pink-haired, perfect chakra controlling, brutally strong, Sharingan-wielding kids running around, he had another thing coming.

For some reason, Ino couldn't even _imagine_ the possibility that maybe…

 _…just maybe…_

Sasuke Uchiha was in love with Sakura for who she was.

"So," Ino draws out, turning her attitude towards Naruto. "Are we're gonna run or whatever?"

Yeah," Naruto replies, speaking through his teeth. "That's literally what I've been saying **FOR THE PAST TEN MINUTES.** "

* * *

Ino was good at hand-to-hand combat. She was well-trained and attentive to her opponent and the environment around her. Each sweep of her foot, and swipe of her arm was strong enough to bruise bone and split wood.

As a young girl, Sakura was sure short hair would lead to better dexterity and movement. Somehow, Ino battled against all scientific reasoning—with every spin and kick, her locks remained tangle-free, and her skirt covered her nether-regions as if it had been specifically designed to do so.

She was a frightening mix of pretty and ferocious.

Ino's fist flew towards the curve of Sakura's spine. The air coming off of her hit was strong in itself, ripping through the atmosphere like a piercing needle.

Still, as good as Ino was, Sakura was better.

She dodged, easily evading every advance as though she saw it before it happened. Sasuke has thought, many times before, that her cunning, analytical eyes were on par with the first level of _Sharingan_.

Pivoting on the heel of her hand, Sakura twirled around and slammed her calf into the blocking forearms of her best friend. The force is powerful, enough to slide Ino harshly against the dry, winter ground, leaving a rut in her wake.

Picking herself up and dusting off thick debris, the woman lets out a groan. "I seriously hate how strong you've gotten. I actually _miss_ when you used to pull my punches."

Sakura laughs, letting her body mold to her default battle stance. With her body closed and both hands curled defensively in front of her, she prepares for a ruthless blitz.

On the other side of the field, Naruto and Sasuke work on weaponry. It is a studious task, but an easy one. Both men were _very_ skilled in the art of beating the shit out of one another, so hand-to-hand combat wasn't necessary.

Really, it was in everyone's best interest. The Terra and Flora thanked them tremendously.

Naruto was observant, more so than usual. It was obvious that he was worried about the next stunt Kakashi would pull for the final battle in the arena. Would he face off against a giant, man-eating robot? Would he have to fight, like, _2,000_ drones, with poison-laced kunai? Would he be strapped to a computer, forced to watch Sasuke dance on a stripper pole?

He didn't know. It could be _anything._ And it all sounded _awful._

"So, am I holding it right?" The blond asks, pointing kusanagi towards Sasuke shakily. Honestly, he's surprised the man even let him _look_ at the weapon, let alone practice with it.

"No, this is a one-handed sword." He explains. "It's an extension of your body. Turn your body inwards, and plant your feet farther apart."

Naruto had always thought of Sasuke as a brother. Most of the time, Naruto would call himself the eldest out of default, but Sasuke had bouts of kindness and knowledge that made Naruto feel like a kid, learning how to do something for the first time. A kid, yes, but not incompetent.

"That's good. Now, try a V-shaped cut." Sasuke says.

As a boy, Naruto considered Sasuke an obstacle to jump over. They were so alike, but so different. Now, as an adult, Naruto saw Sasuke in a new light. Though the man was narcissistic and severe most times, Naruto truly believed he'd be a great father one day. His patience and understanding ways told Naruto so.

In the background, the men hear a nostalgic cackle that could put a witch to shame. They both pause, turning towards the source of the awful noise.

Ino was speaking with Sakura. They had just finished their spar, wiping their faces on spare handkerchiefs as the former nodded her head vigorously. Covering her red lips, Ino sprouted off the latest gossip to the women around her.

Naruto could always tell when Ino was spreading rumors, even as a kid. It wasn't as if she started them, and it wasn't as if she was a bully of any sort. Still, she had a bad habit of telling everyone's secrets, and when she would lean in _real_ close, and hide her mouth, nothing good would come out of it. Those devious blue eyes lit up with the newest drama.

Hinata would always act the same way, too. She would shake her head unbelievingly, and Sakura would nod at the information but take it with a grain of salt. It was always the same thing with those three, believe it.

He just hoped they weren't talking about him.

The girls splay out under the tree, on top of the blanket Naruto had dragged out of Sakura's storage room. Meticulously they start to prepare their meals, pulling out lunch boxes and drinks that Hinata had guarded expertly. (Naruto is so easy to throw out compliments when it pertained to his wife.)

For a moment—a brief, fleeting moment—everything in Konoha is perfect.

Naruto turns his head and catches the jaded look in Sasuke's eye. He knows what he's thinking, because often, they think the same things.

Sasuke knows that this peace will not last long. There will always be another enemy, and more blood to be shed, and more people to die in the line of duty.

It is the way of ninja.

In a different life, Sasuke could stay. He would wake up next to Sakura every day, greeted by the smile she so easily shared with everyone else. He can almost feel the ends of her hair tickling his cheek. He can almost smell the wildflower scent of her home.

He can almost hear her whisper his name beneath him.

"Hojo," Naruto says, looking back towards his wife once more. "He came to Sakura's yesterday. Sakura was mad about something. I left so they could talk. She doesn't seem heartbroken, so I guess they didn't break up."

Sasuke doesn't even try to hide his emotion. "I came back in as he was leaving."

A chortle breaks free from Naruto's lips. "Oh, yeah? And he's still alive?"

"I told Sakura that I'd kill him, if she asked."

"And?"

He shrugs. "She hasn't asked."

A shriek bellows throughout the training grounds, and Sakura tackles Ino towards the frosted grass with a grin on her face. "You can't be serious, Ino! Get real!"

Sasuke watches the whole thing with a detached curiosity. Like a pestering sibling, his wife pins Ino down and captures her in a headlock, keeping her face still as she does the unthinkable.

The dusty-rose extends pinky finger, and aims straight for her best friend's nose.

"Don't you fucking dare, Sakura!" Ino bellows. She fights for her life, bucking and writhing with every approaching centimeter.

"Oh, I'll do it! I'll make you _eat it_ , too!"

For a moment, their silly chiding reminds him of his own relationship with Itachi. The ring on his chest seems to throb, as if there was some sort of physical reaction to this feeling Sasuke was experiencing. The man grasps it just as Naruto's laugh brings him back to reality. The tanned man throws his prosthetic arm over Sasuke's shoulders and cranes his neck to view the women.

"They're like kids when they're together, aren't they? I'm happy we don't act _that_ badly!"

Grimacing from the touch, Sasuke takes a step back. "Get off of me."

"I'm not even _on_ you." Naruto retorts with a huff.

"You're literally touching me."

"Yeah, but I'm not _on_ you."

And before the men can continue, a single phrase forces them to both to completely freeze.

At first, Sasuke doesn't think he hears her right. But when he catches Naruto's wild-eyed look, he knows that his ears have not deceived him.

Running her hands through Ino's hair, disheveling it, Sakura laughs. "I can't believe you _seriously_ thought I was dating Hojo!"

* * *

Ino stuffs a mushroom into her mouth, groaning as the warmth fills her whole body. She absentmindedly brushes twigs and leaves out of her hair, throwing her best friend a glare here and there. When she fills her mouth up with the Uzumaki woman's famous fried rice, her anger slowly fizzles out. "Hinata, if Naruto would have just waited even a year longer— _I_ would have married you; your food is delicious!"

"Oh, thank you…" the timid woman responds as she watches her husband parry Sasuke's blade. They continued to practice even though the girls had stopped long ago. "I took classes when I was little."

Sakura wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and picks off loose bits of rice from her shirt, already finished with the meal. Don't get her wrong—Sakura was the type that savored her food. But Ino had an odd habit of taking a bite, then straying from her meal like a child who was more preoccupied with play than nourishment. This usually meant Sakura was finished _hours_ before Ino had even started.

Both Sasuke and Naruto had decided to skip their snack. Instead they moved farther away from the group, speaking animatedly between powerful hits and blows.

"Hinata, did you take any classes with Sasuke?"

Ino wants to gauge just how personal Sasuke has gotten with Sakura. The more of his life he's shared, the closer he feels with her. "Or, should I be asking _you,_ Sakura."

Sakura shakes her head, oblivious to her friends' scheming. "I wouldn't know. He hasn't told me much about his past."

She, too, had always wondered just how closely the Hyuuga/Uchiha dynasty had been. Even though the two groups hated one-another, they were all still members of the same village. The head clans nowadays usually sent their children to extra-curricular programs for father development. Did they share these classes together? Sakura lifts her head up and waits for the white-eyed woman's answer.

"Dance," Hinata says after a moment, letting the word roll off of her tongue slowly. She doesn't have much memory of him, in his younger days. He hadn't really been quite as spectacular as his brother was. "If my memory serves me well, we took a traditional dance class together."

This causes two pastel eyebrows to raise high upon Sakura's face. "I had no idea he could dance!"

Ino shakes her head, frowning at the girl before her. Did she really know nothing of Sasuke at all? Standing, Ino yells loudly out into the field. She wants to see how Sasuke and Sakura interact with each other.

So far, both have behaved as though they weren't screwing each other wildly for the past few nights.

"Naruto, teach me how to do shadow clones!"

The kyuubi falls to his knees after Sasuke slams his fist against his own blade. The weapon rings painfully through Naruto's hands, sending vibrations all the way up to his shoulder. His ears pop painfully.

"I'm a little busy right now!"

Ino frowns, crossing her arm as Sakura comes up to her side. It's quite in this proximity. Ino can tell Sakura how she really feels, if she wants. She can tell Sakura that Sasuke is just going to break her heart. She can tell Sakura that she can't handle her depression again—that she can't handle holding her hair back as she vomited bile from days without eating stacked on top of cruel training sessions with Tsunade. That she can't stand to hold her again as she stained her shirt with bitter tears over the boy that never gave her the time of day—that Sasuke's not worth the grief—that she can't understand how anyone could be drawn to someone as callous as he is.

But then, as if on que, Sasuke lifts the edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat that had gathered on his forehead. He flashes a solid view of his delicious abdominals, glistening with perspiration in a way that put magazine models to shame. His flesh is a shade between alabaster and peach, giving off a subtle, almond hue, and the scars of battles and torture and endurance seem to tell a story across his torso.

Okay, so maybe Ino could _understand_ how someone could be drawn to him. But still, Sakura isn't as vain as she is, and even Ino knows that just because a guy was a stud didn't mean he was worth a damn.

Take Madara, for example.

From this far away, the marks Sakura left aren't visible. But she knows they're there. She knows where she touched, and scratched, and dug her nails and teeth into.

After another unsuccessful dodge with kusanagi, Naruto lets out a frustrated sigh. He grips the sword like it's a baseball bat and leans back like he'll hit a homerun on the next shuriken Sasuke throws.

"I'm done with this! This is bullshit! I'll never get this right!"

"If you're done, then get over here already and practice with me."

Ino puts her hand on her hip. She knew Sasuke well enough to know that he wouldn't bother wasting his time training anyone that wasn't on level. Sure, both he and Sakura had punched a God in the face or whatever, but the only person in the world that could _maybe_ beat him was Naruto, and he'd lost an arm the last time he tried.

In all, there was _no way_ Sasuke would bother training with Sakura. And this would just be another reason Ino could use to persuade the girl to dump him before he knocked her out and left her outside in the middle of the night again.

"Ugh, fine, but it's a _really_ complicated jutsu so I doubt you'll pull it off anyways."

Ino walks up to him, leaving Sakura behind. Though she's sure Naruto is explaining something very important or whatever, she can't help but train her focus on the Uchiha and his narrowed eyes. He cleans his blade on the fabric of his pants and then turns away from everyone, walking to the middle of the field.

Just as Ino is ready to declare victory, Sasuke turns his head towards Sakura.

"Summon your axe."

* * *

"You've got the logistics," Sasuke says to her as he directs her huge axe to the ground. "But your movements are too easy to read."

She rolls her eyes and swings he blade out. "You're kidding me? You've got the fucking _SharRinnegan_. It's not that my movements are easy, it's that you're eyes are freaky!"

He completely brushes off her comment and comes in close, bypassing her offense just enough to wrap his hand around her wrist. Squeezing powerfully, her tendons release the axe on reflex and it clambers to the cold earth.

"I could have killed you. You may face someone with these eyes, so you need to be prepared."

"What, am I going to fight you in the final round or something?"

Did he know something she didn't know? "Well, if it's that easy, why didn't you just do it?"

Sasuke allows her to grab the battle-axe once more."It wouldn't be worth the stain on my blade."

It's strange, but Sakura catches the morbid humor behind his words. It's something that she's happy they both share—a fascination for morose thoughts and chides.

Before she can catch herself, Sakura embarrassingly says, "What about a stain on your shoes? What about a stain on your shirt?"

He turns his head to the side, reminding her of a puppy for the second time that day. "You've already done that, haven't you?"

It takes her a moment to comprehend, but then it all comes to her in a rush. She remembers how the second round of the exams ended, and the embarrassing story Ino told her after Sasuke had held Sakura against his shirt.

Ah, periods.

She feels her face heat up, and she's thankful that Naruto is approaching them, because if he hadn't, she's sure she would have crawled under a rock and died.

His hand wraps around her shoulder and she can feel the pressure behind it. Turning, Sakura sees in his face a plea. A, "Please save me from this maniac that is Ino Yamanaka."

As if they called her name, Ino bounds up to the three with a sour face.

For the last thirty minutes, Sasuke has been patiently teaching Sakura how to handle her blade, and he hasn't been snarky _once._

Maybe she should be happy about this revelation. After all, Sakura really deserved to be with whomever she pleased. The fact that Sasuke saw her as equal enough to spend his time training her must have meant _something._

 _Yeah but…but they're supposed to be a "thing" now. Sasuke hasn't checked out her ass not once! He hasn't even held her hand or flirted!_

Come to think of it, neither has Sakura. It was as though they were friend with benefits, except that only one of them got any benefit out of it. As Naruto babbles on about what he believes Hokage Kakashi has in mind for the big finale, she steals a glance at both Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke is listening with a detached superiority and Sakura…?

Sakura is looking at him as if she's never seen anything so stunning. As he offers his input, a small smile spreads across her lips. She has so much admiration for him—not only as a lover, but as a _person_ —and Ino can't help but feel bitter towards it all.

Sasuke Uchiha didn't deserve someone like her. He really, really didn't.

Pulling the pettiest, final stunt out of her big bag of tricks, Ino tries to do something that would infuriate _her_ if she was in the same situation. She takes two steps, coming only inches away from Sasuke, and clasps the ring that hung on the lowest chain around his neck.

"Wow, Sasuke, this looks so cool!"

Before he can object, Ino loosely drops the jewelry over her middle finger. It's too big, but she's always been told that her hands were smaller than average. Something about this catches her eyes, though, like she's seen it somewhere else before. It's a gleaming ruby, large and beautiful with inlaid kanji script.

"Scarlet?" She reads.

None-too-delicately, he snatches the band off of Ino with a cold yank. Sasuke can feel all sorts of things stirring up inside of him. He didn't like to be touched. He didn't like strange people touching his _stuff._ He didn't particularly like _Ino_ , and to top it off, everyone was staring at him.

Trying to keep his voice steady—trying not to lash out her even though she was incredibly infuriating, Sasuke opens his mouth to speak. "Don't do that again."

The whole thing happened too quickly for Sakura to even figure out how to react. She blinks, shifting her gaze between both Ino and Sasuke as though a showdown was imminent.

But Ino has forgotten all about Sakura and Sasuke and whatever was going on between them. Because something about that ring made her feel…like there was a hole in her chest.

Naruto, oblivious to the entire situation, makes an offhanded comment. "Damn, that looks expensive. Who did you have to kill to get that?"

Without hesitation, Sasuke looks at him to respond. "Itachi,"

It his Ino like a ton of bricks—she suddenly feels _dirty._ She didn't know much about Itachi, but she did know about the Akatsuki. That ring was how they identified their ranks, before the members had died and the group had disbanded.

She draws her hand up to her lips, shaking her head as she thinks of what to say. All she can see is Hiden, and Asuma, and his grave and his wife and his child that he never got to meet because of that _damned_ Akatsuki and yet, Sasuke wore that ring as if it was something to be prideful about.

She clenches her fist, unsure of what she is about to say, but unable to hold back the emotions welling up inside of her.

But Sakura is always there to save the day.

She is kind, drawing her body close to Sasuke's as she gathers the gem into her freezing cold fingers. The purity of her soul seems to add a new shine to the small ruby.

It's beautiful, shimmering against the winter sunlight, reminding her of the first time she'd seen Sasuke's Sharingan. She eyes the thing, thinking of all the things she wished she could ask.

…all of the things Naruto had _no problem_ asking.

"So, why'd you keep it? What does it mean?"

Sasuke doesn't bother looking up at Naruto. Instead, he hold Sakura's curious gaze. "It's the only thing that ties me to him. It's the only thing that reminds me that people can be both bad and good at the same time."

Sasuke loved, and hated Itachi more than anything in the entire world.

The group goes quite, letting his words fill the air around them.

Naruto looks at Ino, whose eyes are downcast. She feels awful for forcing herself on Sasuke like she did, and it had certainly backfired on her.

She thinks of her younger self, always flinging her body onto his and screaming his name, not caring about what he'd really gone thorough and what her affections did to the boy that had lost everyone he'd ever loved in a single night.

Ino understands, finally, what Sakura saw in Sasuke

But Sasuke doesn't want anyone's pity.

He can feel it around him, suffocating him. He doesn't want to look into their eyes and see a reflection of sorrow and grief. He doesn't want sympathy, or understanding, or compassion.

"If we're not going to train, I'm leaving." He says, sliding Kusanagi back into his holster. Naruto and Ino look fully into his face, both trying to read the unreadable.

Slowly, the wind blows, and it carries a tendril of Dusty Rose hair with it. Sakura tucks the strand behind her ear with her right hand, and with a delicate voice she disarms the melancholy that had bloomed between everyone.

Sasuke stops in his tracks.

"It's really beautiful, Sasuke. I'm sure Itachi is happy that you wear it."

Sasuke can look into her face. When he does, he's right, because he _does_ see sympathy and understanding and compassion. But with Sakura, he doesn't want to push it away. With Sakura he wants to fall into it, to fall into her, to tell her everything because he knows she won't think any less of his character or family.

"Why do you wear it on this chain?" She asks, reaching towards the braided gold. She's careful not to touch the ring.

"It's too small for me."

Ino and Naruto watch as outsiders with confused curiosity as Sasuke pulls Sakura's hand from the necklace and carefully stares at her dainty left hand. His mind is working overtime and his eyes are jaded, because he wants to do something badly but he's not sure it's the time or place.

Biting the bullet, Sasuke gathers the band in his hand and slides it down the length of Sakura's ring finger.

It was the perfect fit.

"Your hands are as big as Itachi's." He says, falling into her bright, emerald eyes. Sakura can see the hesitation in his voice, and she can feel the slight tremble his hand gives off as he holds her finger.

This was something important to him.

This was very hard to do.

Sending her happiest smile, Sakura disarms him with a joke. "If you're telling me I have man-hands, I suggest you say it to my face!"

So, Sasuke leans in incredibly close, as if he's no longer aware that they are surrounded by comrades. "Wear this for me,"

This is all that tied Sasuke to Itachi anymore. This is the only thing left of the man Sakura never had the pleasure, or disdain, of meeting. She doesn't know much behind his death, besides the bare bones. She doesn't know much about his family secrets, and why Itachi was both good and bad, and why Sasuke loved him as much as he did. But, she hopes to learn all of this one day. Sakura hopes that Sasuke will share good memories of the man that took so much away from his childhood.

Pink dusts her cheeks as she looks down, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. "Are you sure you want me to have it?"

Instead of kissing her like he's done so often, he pulls her hand up to his mouth and smooths his lips across the ring on her finger. Flashing Sakura a smile that stopped her heart and made her stomach clench, Sasuke shoots her a joke of his own.

"It's a lot better than that ugly chunk of fucking cement you won't throw away."

And like a bumbling fool, Sakura yanks her hand from his mouth and shoves him as hard as she can. "It's not like I kept it on purpose! It just keeps showing up! It doesn't mean anything!"

And for the first time in her life, Ino sees a genuine happiness from Sasuke that only Naruto and Sakura could bring out. She sighs and flips her long bangs behind her shoulder, wondering if she was trapped in some elaborate genjutsu, because _no way_ that just happened.

Things were getting weird. What the hell was going on?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry it took me about an hour longer than I thought to update this. It's 1:30 AM right now where I'm posting this. I try to post every Monday (It's not technically Tuesday) but this has been a crazy week for me-I've worked 14 days in a row and my daughter was very sick this morning, so I had to take off. Super grateful for mommy time, but she still doesn't feel very well and with her in my lap, she deleted this chapter at least twice before. However, that was a blessing, because I'm super happy with the way this turned out.**

 **I hope you guys can understand Ino. I'm acutally looking up anti-SS blogs and posts to come up with her point of view. She thinks Sasuke only wants one thing-sex and babies. She has no idea just how deeply he cares for Sakura, and Ino thinks that he has to be obvious with his emotions and let the world know how he feels for it to be valid. She's waiting for the same thing with Sai, but she will realize different people love in different ways.**

 **The beginning of the final round is next! It's finally here. I have a LOT I want to put in, and I really pray that this story will end up on your favorites list and that it will be worth the read. Thanks everyone for dealing with my ups and downs and everything in between. I really apprecaite all of your support!**

 **Also, a few people have told me that the last chapter seemed...shorter, so I hope this will do ya'll some justice! And YES, to the people who have asked if I plan on doing more stories, I have a bunch in mind. I will type out a lot of them before I post them so I know that there is a solid plot and that the story will remain interesting throughout. I have some prompts in my head, too, and other long stories! Bless you all for following me so studiously. I really love you. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Remember, I reply to every one, so be sure you check your inboxes!**


	43. Chapter 43: I'm her husband

Chapter 43: I'm her husband.

"So what's going on with you and Sakura?"

Sasuke had been expecting that question all day. He takes a shot of _sake_ and slams his cup back on the table, letting the alcohol slip down his throat and spread throughout his bloodstream unsuccessfully.

He savored the sting more than the taste. Something about burning tingle seemed nostalgic, like the first time he'd ever tried a fireball jutsu. He can almost feel the chakra forming within his lungs, threatening to erupt from his mouth.

Sasuke was dragon-like, when angry or frustrated. "I don't know."

And it was the truth. He had been thrown for a loop earlier, overhearing that _Hojo really wasn't Sakura's boyfriend at all._ Sasuke had no idea where to go from there—what to think—what to _do._

While that statement would cause relief for any other man, Sasuke can't help but be plagued by it.

He had bound himself to Sakura fully, until his heart stopped beating, when he took her in the darkness of her cool bedroom the first time they made love. Looking back, Sasuke feels like an idiot for not understanding just how much she meant to him.

Funny, all it took was the joining of souls to cause his epiphany. From 0 to 100, he'd gone from "Let's not do this." to "Marry me,"

In the end, he had other obligations. Being in Konoha was dangerous—dangerous him and the people around. He was would forever be a target, either because of his Uchiha blood or his _Rinnegan_ eyes. He was more suited to outside protection. His leaving was inevitable.

At least with Hojo around, Sakura wouldn't have been lonely. Now everything was fucked up and he didn't know what the hell to do.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're playing a dangerous game here, man. One I think you'll come to regret."

Naruto can recognize the irritability within Sasuke, though it wouldn't show to the naked eye. To anyone else, he was a proper man, sitting up high on his barstool with his hand cradling his brew. But, there was an incessant scraping noise caused by a thumbnail grating the edge of a wooden countertop.

Sasuke never fidgeted, and yet...

"I'm not the only participant. Sakura knows what she's getting into."

That was a cop out, to Naruto. It was just the answer he expected from his rogue-no-more companion. Sasuke, in many ways, believed everyone was just as selfish as he was. If he wanted something, he took it, no matter the repercussion.

Sakura wasn't like that at all. She was the exact opposite in every way.

Naruto takes a swig of _sake_ and then raises his hand, ordering a small bowl of dumplings because their earlier training had left his stomach a bit empty. "Maybe she's waiting for you to change. Maybe she thinks it's just a matter of time."

The dark-man's eyebrows furrow, but he says nothing, because there's nothing for him to say.

When the bartender comes back around, Naruto reaches out for an entire bottle of wine and drinks from the lip, not bothering with tiny cups anymore. The dry, warm liquid goes straight to his head, helping tied words form into sentences he'd never say had he been sober. Naruto's body doesn't even try to hold back—he's much too emotional for that now.

"You know, I'm starting to think Sakura really deserves that Hojo guy, ya know? He's never done nothin' bad to her. He's never hurt her, or told her she wasn't good enough, or broke her heart when he left her all alone—all alone to fend for herself in the middle of the freakin' night."

"I didn't leave her alone." Naruto's the one that left her alone. Sasuke knew Naruto would protect Sakura, when he abandoned the village. Sasuke knew she had friends and family to rely on.

Naruto dips his cloudy, blue eyes towards his friend. "There you go again, defending yourself instead of thinking for half a millisecond about Sakura's feelings."

Sasuke sighs.

There is a silence between them that seems to linger on. The barkeep cleans glasses and cups, welcoming in a few other patrons that manage to stumble through the small door of the bar. Nighttime has just fallen, and soon all of the youngsters will be out. The Jonin Exams started tomorrow, after all.

Naruto should really stop drinking—he knows this. But speaking to Sasuke was hard without losing one's temper, and under the guise of drunkenness, he may be able to get away with it.

"Stop wasting her time if you're never gonna be able to love her back, Sasuke."

Two pale fist clench and dull nails dig half-moons in to both artificial and natural flesh. Sasuke can feel his temper rising, and although he knows it's not the place for such a battle, his patience is wearing thin. He was never one to cause a scene, especially when what someone said was truth.

And up until the last quip, everything _was_ true.

Sasuke knew what Sakura was entitled to. The things she deserved never stopped running through his head, even in her presence—they haunted him.

That didn't mean Sasuke didn't love her.

It would take a long time for him to be able to say those words out loud, and perhaps he never would. There was no denying the tightness in his chest at the sound of her name, or the dizzying feeling he got when she brushed against him with the purist of intentions. But still, voicing this was a big ordeal to Sasuke, and it was one that he'd hoped could be said in private, when the time was right.

Sasuke loved her, more than anyone would ever know.

"What makes you think I don't have feelings for her? Why do you think I'm just leading her on?"

Naruto leans in close enough to dig his elbow into the tender bone at Sasuke's side. The man cuts his eyes, narrowing them into dangerous slits. "Oh, I don't know, probably the fact that you have _nothing_ to do with her?"

"And what do you expect me to do?" Sasuke says with a snappy undertone that follows his friend's sarcasm.

"Am I supposed to spell it out for you?"

Sasuke sneers. "Oh, you can you spell now?"

"For fucks sake, buy her some flowers, you stupid idiot!"

It seems as though all hell hadbroken loose now.

Naruto pays no heed to the few people in the bar as he lets his anger escalate. He stands, slamming the butt of the _sake_ bottle on the wooden counter, forcing foam up through the nozzle. "Grab her ass, tell her she's pretty, kiss her when everyone's around—do _something._ Stop acting like you don't know how to show someone that you love them. Stop acting like you're too cool to _lower yourself to such pitiful standards._ Honestly!"

"And that's how I'll show her that I love her?" The Uchiha doesn't even bother rising. He keeps his voice level, so as not to attract any more attention. "I need to act like a caveman?" Again, the man sneers. "Why are my My feelings invalid unless everyone is aware of them? I'm supposed to show Sakura, not all of goddamn Konoha."

Naruto always has something to say back, but right now, even though his mouth is opened, nothing comes out.

"I'm a fuck up. I'm good at killing, bad at making friends, and I've been conceited for more than half of my entire life. But no matter what, I _understand_ the way my head thinks and my heart feels. This world is not a fairytale, Naruto. Just because I love Sakura doesn't mean I can be with her. Life isn't so perfect.

You said it yourself—I've been narcissistic. I've done things with only my benefit in mind. But believe me when I tell you this: _I never wanted to hurt Sakura. Not in a million years._ That's the last thing I'll ever mean to do."

Naruto can feels his hands trembling and a heavy pounding deep within his chest.

"I shouldn't have to prove my love to her for others to accept it. I know how I feel, and that should be more than enough."

"You keep saying that," The kyuubi begins. "You keep saying that you don't have to prove it, but does Sakura know? Because I think she's perfectly content with being nothing more than a release. She'll do anything for you, so why can't you do the same back?"

Sasuke grits his teeth. "Sakura is not in love with the idea of me. She's not clinging to the man I should be. She loves who I am, and who I'm not, and who I want to be."

"So that's it, then? I'm just supposed to believe you when you say that you love her?"

But Sasuke has had enough. This whole ordeal isn't frustrating and annoying. He feels drained, and he wonders if this is exactly what Sakura has had to go through since she first became a teen.

It seemed as though so many people loved and fought for her. So many people pried themselves into her daily life, and in turn, she began to rely on them just as heavily.

Naruto enjoyed playing the part of big brother. He enjoyed being her shoulder to cry on, her hero, and the man that she could trust with even her darkest of secrets.

Ino was an advisor. Sasuke knew of her shitty recommendations, especially in the field of dating, and for some reason—as intelligent as Sakura was—she lapped up her information as if it were scripture.

Even Mebuki had a sway over the pink-haired woman. The entirety of Sakura's life—perhaps even before she was born—had been delicately crafted by her mother and every misstep caused the deepest rift between the two.

Her whole life, Sakura has been guided. She walked blindly, keeping her hands on the shoulders of people who had genuine intentions, but enabling outcomes.

Sasuke can't stand it anymore. "You don't have to believe it. It's not any of your business. Stop treating Sakura like the child you, and everyone else, thinks she is. She's a grown woman; let her make her own mistakes and decisions."

Naruto is absolutely throttled at the haughty outburst. He sees white start to fuzz the inner corner of his eyes. "What the hell gives you the right to tell me that? Sorry, but I'm not so good at abandoning my friends."

"You're not abandoning her. I'm taking over."

Sasuke stands suddenly, placing his ryo on the counter before turning his back on Naruto.

He thought highly of the whisker-cheeked man. If there was anyone's opinion he valued more than his own, it would easily be Naruto's. But Naruto is not Sakura's keeper—nor is Ino, nor is Mebuki. If anyone should fill that void, it should be him; her other half.

"What the hell makes you think you have that right? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Turning to look over his shoulder, Sasuke stares deeply into the eyes of his childhood friend, of his brother without blood, of the man that saved his life and, in turn, allowed him the opportunity to love and grow.

Naruto Uzumaki, the start of everything.

Filling his lungs to capacity, Sasuke confesses his deepest secret. "I'm her husband."

It seems as though the world around Naruto had started to shift. Slices of his vision cut in and out, and all he can see is the dark cloak Sasuke wears and all he can feel is his hand around that _sake_ bottle and all he can hear is the shattering of clay as he swipes the damned thing over impossibly spiky locks.

And when the Kyuubi comes to, Sasuke has fallen face-first into the floor of the bar, and Naruto has no _fucking clue_ as to what his next plan of action should be.

 _Fuck my life._

* * *

"So, what's going on between you and Sasuke?"

Ino is sprawled out on Sakura's sofa, eating strawberries as she flips through the channels of Sakura's TV. She opens another packet of sugar and sprinkles it into the bowl before popping a bright berry into her mouth.

It was a loaded question, and one that Sakura really didn't know how to answer. What _was_ going on between them?

It wasn't a typical boyfriend-girlfriend type of relationship. It had started out slowly, and then once that gate had opened, all that was left was raw emotion and the release of sexual tension _years_ in the making (for Sakura, at least.)

The girl plops down beside Ino dejectedly. She feels like the worst friend in the world, because there's so much Ino doesn't know.

But, perhaps it wasn't…really…any of Ino's business. It wasn't as though Sakura wanted anything from Ino anymore.

Sakura didn't care to hear anymore advice. She didn't care to be berated or congratulated or to divulge any of their personal relationship. To put it bluntly:

"Ino, you're too nosy."

Instead of being offended, the woman laughs. "You say that like I give a shit, girl. C'mon, I'm not asking for the dirty details. I just want a summery."

Feeling a head nuzzle its way to her lap, Sakura sighs. She closes her eyes to think, to find a _beginning_ to all of this madness. Really, when did it all start? How far back would she have to travel in her memories?

The dull drone of the TV fades on in the background. Every channel is filled with news of the Jōnin Exams that start tomorrow. Bets have been placed, the stakes are high, everyone is wondering just what kind of crazy events will unfold in the newly refurbished battle arena.

Tickets have been sold out for weeks now, but all of the participant's families have free passes. Though Sakura hasn't spoken to her mother since…the "incident", she still wonders if both her parents will give their support. Konoha natives are offered the best seats, but there have been rumors that other villages have been allowed both civilian and shinobi access.

There's so much going on in Sakura's life. She can never be run her own Children's Clinic if she's not promoted to Jonin level, and on top of all that...

Ino snaps her fingers. "I'm waiting."

"And _I'm_ thinking," Sakura retorts.

After another moment, and two ripe strawberries, she finally comes up with the words. "It started out slow, but it's been a long time coming. You know? It was like we were trapped in a lazy river, not knowing of the waterfall that roared a few meters down. I knew something was going to happen, but I didn't know if it was going to be bad or good."

Ino is used to such philosophical responses. Sakura has always been poetic. "Well…was it good, or was it bad?"

The woman curls a shoulder-length strand of hair around her ring finger, looking at the dazzling jewel that did not belong to her. "Neither. It just happened. At first I fell under the brim of water and let it fill my lungs because there was nothing I could do to escape. But when I looked down, I saw that I wasn't alone, and that Sasuke was just as trapped as I was. He doesn't react the same way I do about things, but it's good to have that balance. He is Yin and I am Yang."

Ino sighs and bats her lashes. "You complete each other."

Though it's not the most embarrassing subject she's had with her best friend, Sakura cannot help but turn red. She shakes her head, wanting to progress to another subject. "Well, I'm waiting for _your_ explanation. Why were you all over him earlier, anyways?"

The blonde sits up suddenly, both ashamed and flustered. "I wasn't _all over him._ "

"You were. I know you. You pulled some of that same stuff on Sai!"

A short silence envelops them, and the sound of a howling wind shakes the wreath on Sakura's front door. After a few more moments, Ino speaks. "I just wanted some proof of his feelings for you. When I saw those hickeys on you—in the bathhouse—I would have never guessed they were from Sasuke. I know that I've given you advice to get him in the past. But Sakura…none of it was solid. I never thought it was possible for you to get as far as you've gotten."

Sakura keeps her eyes trained to the TV, unsure of how to take this revelation. Ino doesn't stop.

"Don't get me wrong, I did sense the tension between you two. Sex was almost inevitable, especially in such closed quarters. But I didn't want that for you. I didn't want you to just be a release, and…and I wanted you to see that's all Sasuke thought of you as. But Sakura, I now know that it's more than that with Sasuke."

Another howling wind whistles along the front of her home, and this time it carries the scent of snow. Sakura can feel a chill start from the bottom of her toes to the nape of her neck, and she rubs her feet together as the television flickers between commercials.

"I don't know if it's love. I do know that, whatever it is, it's important to you two. I just wish he was more open with his feelings."

"That's something Sasuke will never do."

Ino drops her gaze down and threads her fingers together. "I know, and that breaks my heart. I want you to be happy."

Her head finds Sakura's shoulder and she leans into the girl, though she's smaller and bonier than what anyone would normally find comfortable. It was just who Sakura was. She would always be short and slender and boyish in shape. She would get wrinkles with time, but for right now, Ino felt as though she were talking to a child.

Sakura was not a child, though. "Who says I'm not happy?"

The comment bewilders Ino, so much so that she pulls away to look Sakura directly in her face. "What do you mean?"

"I am not in love with Sasuke because I crave his attention. I could care less about that stuff. I've told you before, haven't I?"

 _"_ _I want to hold his hand, and I want to tell him jokes and hear his laugh—his real laugh. I want him to talk to me about things that are important to him. I want to cook for him every morning and night. And more than anything, I want to fall asleep next to him and wake up in his arms with morning breath and messy hair and goofy grins…I want all of it."_

"If I was concerned about a man who was blatant with his affections, I would have dated Naruto or Lee a long time ago. Sasuke isn't like that, and he's never going to be. I know that I'm precious to him, and that's all that will ever matter, even if he doesn't say it. And maybe, when he leaves after these exams, I won't be important to him anymore. I'm just happy that we've had this time together—truly, I am. If you want my happiness, you've found it Ino."

"And how will you feel when he leaves, Sakura? I can't see you depressed again. I can't."

Sakura can see the tears that brim up in her best friend's eyes, and God bless her. God bless Ino for being nosy, and for caring, and for giving her advice even though it's the exact opposite of what Sakura really wanted. God bless Ino for trying.

"You don't have to see me, Ino. It's alright. Let me be sad—I'll survive. I'm strong. You have to let me live, you know? You have to let go of my bicycle and let me learn how to ride it. It's okay if I scrape my knees along the way."

Ino remembers the smile that Sakura gives, back when they were children, laying in flowery meadows under the summer sun. Her face is no longer tanned and freckled and chubby, and her eyes aren't quite so big, and the girl has even grown into that incredibly large forehead of hers. Sakura is beautiful and powerful and independent. For the first time, in perhaps all of her life, Ino sees her for the woman that she truly is.

Sakura feels arms wrap around her in a vice, and she welcomes the tightness. It's been forever since they've hugged like this. A weight as been lifted off of her heart and it's finally like she can breathe again.

And when they pull back to wipe their tears, a small peck taps at Sakura's window. Behind the pane is a messenger bird, the color of mud and dirt. Again, it's beak raps at the glass and Sakura peels away from Ino with a new pressure against her chest.

Lifting the window, the pink-haired woman grabs the note from the hawks talons and as it flies up high towards the moon, Sakura reads the sloppy handwriting.

"What is it?" Ino asks.

"Sasuke's been hurt."

In moments the two women are out the door, heading as quickly as possible to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I know this is a bit shorter (again), but I figured this was a good ending place and this is basically another filler chapter anyways. Naruto finally knows that Sasuke is Sakura's husband, Ino is caught up on everything, and the next chapter will have some really great SasuSaku moments-believe me! I'm craving a lemon or a lime, at least! LOL! And I'll finally go into more depth about Sasuke's "marriage", and at chapter 45 we will officially start The Jonin Exams, final stage! I've been dreaming about these scenes forever. Hold on to your kokoro.**

 **Again, sorry that this may not be a satisfying chapter, but wait for next Monday and I'll try my best to keep everyone happy. I've had some requests for Sasuke's POV on a lemon/lime, so let's see what I can do! I also have a one-shot that I'm almost finished with (sasusaku, but not in relation to this story) so maybe that will tide some of you over if I get it posted by next week. T.T**

 **Thanks to everyone that messaged me and still supports me through this all. If you're anonymous and would like to speak to me, but don't have a account, you can get in contact with me through Tumblr and DeviantArt. I don't bite, and I love to speak to everyone! TALK TO ME!**

 **Oh, and when Naruto knocked out Sasuke with the _sake_ bottle, please think of it as humorous. It's not life-threatening at all. Remember how Sasuke reacted to the fact Naruto was gonna be a father? Naruto just found out Sasuke's married and decked the guy. Let's see how much farther this will progress! XD **


	44. Chapter 44: I'm leaving tomorrow

Chapter 44: I'm leaving tomorrow.

There was nothing like true silence. It was a beautiful thing—that moment of pure nothingness that allowed one to hear their own blood, rushing within their bodies to the cadence of a systematic heartbeat.

Within that quietness, Sasuke could see the days from long ago. His memory was of the photographic kind, vast and perfect, viewing every detail of every insignificant scene he'd ever experienced. He can see the blues of a summer sky and the brown of worn bark on and old tree and grass so green it was almost blinding.

Throughout all of these still photographs of days long and not so long ago; two colors seemed to be more vivid than their surround landscapes—even among rivers of magma between different dimensions.

Pink and Orange; Sakura and Naruto

Sasuke can almost feel the tickle of her hair against his cheek. Long tendrils of overflowing puce, framing round cheeks and hiding the irises much brighter than that blinding green grass—a young Sakura, a teenage Sakura, an adult Sakura.

Naruto was bold. He was both lightning and the wind, thunderous in voice and brilliantly unsubtle, though the way of the ninja called differently. His extended fist is the most distinct scene in all of this sleep, right behind the puckered face he'd make after every one of Sasuke's powerful punches.

As Sasuke starts to wake, a new Naruto forms before him in a black haze. An earthen bottle fills that man's hand and the crackle of shattered clay forces the black-haired man back to reality. Waking slowly, Sasuke tries to open swollen eyes unsuccessfully.

"So, he was telling the truth then?"

Conversation ebbs in and out. The rush of blood still flows heavily within Sasuke's ears. It's almost like he's underwater, swimming below layers of sticky grime.

"I've already told you that. Now look at him—get Sasuke another towel, he's still…leaking. You've really done it this time. Sakura won't be impressed."

"Well, what was I supposed to do, Kakashi? Let him walk out like some mystic vampire when he dropped a freaking bomb on me?"

"You weren't supposed to brain him with an empty jug, that's for sure."

There's a scoff. "Che, it wasn't a jug. It was like, _this_ big. I just hit him in a weak spot s'all. "

"He's been bleeding for five minutes already. That's more than a weak spot."

"That's because he's got a'lotta blood in 'em."

Sasuke's entire face feels numb, from forehead to chin, and even his teeth tingle like they'd been ground down to nubs. With a groan, the man reaches back to the base of his skull, where it feels the least painful and strangely, the most wet.

"Oh, good, you're up. You've got some explaining to do."

Sasuke smells Naruto before he sees him. The scent of alcohol is enough to make the man want to vomit. Besides that, Sasuke can't even mutter a proper string of curse words! Pulling his hand away, he's unsurprised to see strawberry smudges on his palm and fingertips.

"Naruto," Kakashi chides. "Shouldn't you wait until he's at least sitting up?"

The man shakes his head. It's a move that would have bounced his spiky hairdo before, but he's cut it short to leave behind boyishness. "Sasuke doesn't have the luxury of time. You've already called Sakura. I'd say he's got five minutes before she comes in here, I tell her he's her husband, and she murders everyone on sight."

"I should probably go," Kakashi mutters, shuffling paperwork from behind his desk. "I've got an exam to host tomorrow…and there's an old lady that needs me to carry her groceries…and a black cat usually crosses the left entrance at dusk so I haven't much time…"

The throbbing from Sasuke's nape is starting to get stronger, but he lifts himself up despite the soreness. There's a deep red circle marked in the wood of Kakashi's bench. A familiar orange jumpsuit top clings to the body fluid flowing from Sasuke, and he realizes why Naruto's odor had been so strong.

With a disgusted sneer, he throws the jacket to the ground and pulls off his own top in one swift movement. As he presses the black material into his wound, he hisses. "You're a maniac."

"You're a sneak!" Naruto retorts. He's been thinking of the right words to say for a good half-hour, but all of that is thrown out of the window. "You're a sneak and an asshole, and you've really done it this time."

"Get over it." The man snaps back. "Stop sticking your nose in shit that doesn't affect you."

"Are you going to say that to Sakura, when she tries to get married to someone else and the village denies her request because she already has a HUSBAND WHO IS OUT ROAMING THE WORLD A THOUSAND MILES AWAY?"

The Uchiha is not in the presence of strangers, so his emotions are on full blast. Scrunching his narrow nose, he squints black eyes and furrows his brows. "It's not like that."

"Then what's it like? Stop weaseling around. Stop being so mysterious and tell me what it's like or I'll tell her what I _think_ it's like. I'll tell her everything I've got on you, and she'll grind you into dust and I'll have to scatter your ashes over Training Ground 3. And I won't even _cry._ "

For a second, Sasuke's heart skips a beat. Because, even though he's sure Sakura would never be able to catch him in speed, her immense power is nothing to be teased or tested unless they are mortal enemies.

"You're going to "cry" if you don't close your big mouth." Sasuke threatens, though he hardly looks menacing enough to do it properly.

"I've told him as much as I know about your clan," Kakashi says as he stuffs scrolls into a large satchel. He is truly going to get out of there. "But even our records are shrouded in secret."

"It's that way for a reason."

The Uchiha were a private group, which was done both purposefully and inadvertently. They were people with many secrets and a strange way of life that was kept under wraps for a very, very long time.

Naruto's anger is almost palpable. "Not even Sakura gets a say in this?"

Both Kakashi and Naruto watch Sasuke as they wait for an answer. It's like he is a peculiar, endangered animal; a rarity.

The history of his people lies in ruin beneath this town. Halls and tunnels and undisclosed rooms gather dust because no one but an Uchiha can enter, and Sasuke is too plagued by the past to cross the threshold.

It's as though they expect him to break at any moment, and while he does not blame their curiosity, he cannot help but be bothered by it. This was where the stark differences in his close friends and Sakura abruptly came to an end.

Sakura didn't ask questions that were hard for him to answer. Sakura didn't put him on the spot. And while, sometimes, that is exactly what Sasuke needs, it is still incredibly infuriating.

Finding nowhere to vent his frustration properly, Sasuke opts for kicking the nearest chair, making the plastic thing slide across the room, flip over and clamber to the ground beside his friend; his brother. "Sakura's opinion doesn't matter in this."

Naruto picks that chair back up and plops down on it rearwards, letting the back press flush against his chest. Sasuke feels odd, like he's a patient and Naruto is playing therapist, waiting for him to divulge some crucial information.

Fat-fucking-chance.

Still, Sasuke can feel the pressure looming down on him. Sakura was faster than she was as a child. And even though her house was on the other side of town, she'd get there soon enough. Depending on what these two idiots sent to her, she'd either go straight through buildings or take a slower route by traveling atop them.

Neither option left him much time, and Sasuke had no doubt Naruto would throw him under the bus given the first chance. Naruto was righteous in that way and Sasuke knew his actions weren't always the best when it came to his pink-haired...wife.

One second passes, then two. Finally, Sasuke can't take Naruto's stoic, tight-lipped gaze. "Even if she didn't agree to this, it's not like Sakura is bound to me."

"Talk quicker," Naruto returns with a lazy yawn. "We don't have time for vagueness."

Kakashi zips and ties his satchel shut and then adjusts in over his shoulder. Though he kept his eyes down, his ears are tuned into the conversation to the left of him perfectly.

This certainly wasn't how the Hokage offices were supposed to be used. He was both a pushover and a nosy old man (though he'd tell you that being in your early thirties hardly constituted as "old" but he digresses.)

And after another half-minute of silence and careful contemplation, Sasuke continues.

"The patriarch of my clan can marry his people without any outside permission."

"So you two went to some geriatric clan head and eloped, then?"

Sasuke speaks through his teeth, trying to reign in on his venomous sarcasm. "No, **I'm the only Uchiha left**."

The blond grabs his hair in frustration. "Who's the patriarch then, if you're the only one left? This isn't making any sense!"

Kakashi, sensing Sasuke's bloodlust, decides to offer the man help. It's nice to feel like a teacher again. Speaking softly, as if Naruto were a child, Lord Hokage explains everything in greater detail.

"Naruto, think for a moment. If Sasuke is the only Uchiha, he is also the eldest Uchiha, which makes _him_ the patriarch. Like, if we both left the room, and you were the only one it in, you would be the eldest in _this_ room."

"Oh,"

…

" _ **Oh…**_ "

…

"Okay, uh…so Sasuke can marry whoever he wants. Fine. But Sakura's not an Uchiha! I mean, maybe she is now, but she wasn't before they got married—"

"Sakura's not married," Sasuke interjects. "I am. She can fall in love and wed and do whatever. I'm in the covenant not **with** her, but **for** her."

"Uh…"

Really, this entire situation was comical, confusing, and frustrating at the same time. Sasuke is not the patient type, which was one of his biggest worries in the event of fatherhood. He was much better suited to the job of a wayward uncle, who would hang around Naruto's children when they were much older and potty-trained.

Kakashi, however, is rather patient. He is also good at explaining things.

"Sasuke's clan has a…different view on marriage. It is more than a piece of paper—it's the bonding of souls if the elder is involved. Tribe weddings are more powerful than village weddings."

"How so? I mean, what's so different about them?"

Sasuke takes over explaining from here because Kakashi only knows hearsay and bits and pieces of information written on imprecise parchment.

"From the moment I too her…"

And yet, it's so hard to say aloud.

Sasuke takes a minute to gather himself. He is unable to stare into the azure eyes of his comrade. Instead, he watches one fingernail scrape against the other—a nervous tic he hadn't done since he was a schoolboy.

Naruto is fatherly; he can wait, even if Sakura will be here any moment.

Taking a deep inhale, Sasuke continues. "When I say that I am her husband, I mean that I am tied to her spiritually. I'm hers whether she's mine or not, forever."

Naruto chews on his lower lip. "How is that fair?"

"Fair has nothing to do with it."

"Then why the hell would you do it? Marriage is a partnership! It's not just…just…belonging to someone. Why would you give yourself up to her if there was a chance she wouldn't want you in return?"

Sasuke's not sure why he said it. Perhaps his severe head injury and the incessant question after question after question Naruto threw at him kept him from thinking straight. Perhaps he'd grown so comfortable with his own realization, admitting it aloud was child's play. Perhaps Sasuke was tired of running from the truth.

Whatever the reason, Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes and said, "Because there's no one else I want to be with. I love her."

And it was too late for Naruto to retort, because the doctor had arrived.

* * *

Sakura wasn't one for big entrances. That was a Naruto trope. Right now, she could understand why it was a favorite of his. She felt powerful and ultimately badass when she kicked open the doors to the Hokage office and suddenly had three powerful men staring at her like she was the Grim Reaper himself.

Her heart thrummed as she pulled on her black gloves. Her heart thrummed as she made her way over to her patient, ordering Ino to gather some water to clear the gash well enough so that she could try to mend it. Her heart thrummed as she approached Sasuke Uchiha, who was bleeding and pale, holding his recently shed T-shirt up to his bleeding scalp.

Ino is gone for only a second before she hands the bucket to Sakura who begins to wipe away at both dried and fresh plasma. "And who did this?" Sakura asks.

Naruto stammers. He would be the first one to admit that Sakura was a terrifying adversary. He'd been on the receiving end of her brutal punches one time too many, and because of her poundings, he'd learned to keep his mouth shut in a lot of situations. He also learned to toss people out into her traffic if he could even _slightly_ end up hurt because of something he did. "Uh, well, uh actually Sakura…"

The look Sasuke gives him must have had some sort of jutsu tied to it because suddenly Naruto feels as though his tongue is swollen and his throat is bone-dry. He's not exactly sure which of his friends he should be the most afraid of now.

"Ino, pass me the silk thread."

Ino does as commanded, passing over the sterile string as she watches the entire situation play out. Sasuke is obedient and helpful even as Sakura pokes around the tender flesh of his scalp, like he knows something is going to go down and he'd better me a good patient if he wanted to make it out alive.

Sakura pauses briefly, looking over her shoulder to the blond-haired man who has yet to answer her question. An elegant, pink brow rises up high on her forehead as she prompts him.

Kakashi, who feels as though he owed the kid just a bit of help, pops in. "Naruto said it was...a freak attack."

"More like a "freak's attack"," Sasuke mumbles.

"What was that?" She asks.

"Here's the needle driver," Ino says, plopping down beside Sasuke before he can even come up with an excuse. She is not there to help him, though-not _really._ The movement of her sitting jars him, and his face naturally sends his death-glare to the girl. She shrugs like she didn't do it on purpose. "What? I'm just sitting. Do you expect me to assist standing up?"

"I'd rather you left."

Sakura rolls her eyes and aligns the skin. The contact is painful, and Sasuke can't help the groan that escapes his lips. He leans forward to escape the prod, only to find his forehead pressed into Sakura's covered navel. She is always warm like an oven, and he is drawn to that heat.

It's a gesture everyone but Sakura finds to be rather intimate, and Sasuke is unsure whether to jerk back and risk a deeper wound of act like he had no idea what was going on.

"Oh, seriously Sasuke—I haven't even sterilized the gash. How is it that you can get stabbed clear through your chest, but you make a noise when I barely even touch you?"

"Che," Sasuke remarks as he looks up at her. Her face is determined and her voice is calm like she isn't about to drive a needle through his skin repeatedly. She's the epitome of professionalism, and it's surprisingly calming.

"Why do you have to suture him?" Kakashi asks as he makes his way to his broken door. He doesn't really care what she's doing, but he'd like to keep her distracted as he made his escape. Getting her to explain the steps of any medical process was enough to keep her busy for at least thirty minutes.

"Because, if I heal it with my chakra there will be severe scarring and then it will be impossible for hair to grow in this spot. This is a wide gash—five inches—goodness Sasuke that must have been some random hit! So anyways my chakra will form new skin cells but he needs his skin _mended_ so there's not a big bald spot on him."

"He'd deserves a bald spot," Naruto says as he walks up behind her. "I mean, if I was the one that hit him, Sakura, I bet he'd deserve it."

Ino and Naruto share an understanding. They both stare into each other's blue irises, nodding furiously. Sakura smiles at this. In many ways, those two were unbelievably similar.

"But you weren't the one that did this, right Naruto?"

"A'course not!"

Sasuke scoffs, but Sakura is preoccupied. She asks for the needle—a curved semi-circular piece of metal—and Sasuke has to grind his molars together to distract from the pain. It seemed the smallest of wounds were the worst. Papercuts, senbon punctures, those little hangnails you get on your finger during the winter months, etc. All of that stuff drove him absolutely crazy. Truly, he'd rather take a punch than a pinch any day.

Without thinking, he presses his eyelids together tightly and places his large hand on Sakura's wide hip, squeezing her more powerfully than intended.

"Ah, Sasuke…" Sakura says lowly because that pressure a bit too rough and a huge distraction. Apparently, Sasuke catches the drift because he puts his hands in his lap and tries to fight off the heat that threatens to spread over his cheeks. He refused to blush in front of anyone, and hated that Sakura could draw it out of him so easily.

Sasuke was brutal and ruthless. But he was also a loving soul, and Sakura could bring out the best of him.

A feminine snicker is heard to his right, because even though Ino hasn't seen anything, she thinks he's like a scolded puppy.

"Why are they in here?" Sasuke says, not bothering to say it quietly. He wants them to _know._

"Do you want them out? I've only got two more stitches to do. It won't take long."

Ino stands, putting her hands up in defeat. "No, no, it's fine, Naruto and I will…just go visit Shikamaru or something. Don't mind us."

Together, both Naruto and Ino share devious looks, because they know Shikamaru is not an option in this moment. They have an important mission. Like two children, both sharing the same sneaky plan, they exit the office and close the door behind them.

Luckily, the doors locking mechanism is jammed because of Sakura's earlier entrance. Through the crack the ninja peer, ready to see how Sasuke and Sakura act without supervision in a large, empty room.

"So, did you really knock him out?" Ino whispers as she crouches down low. Her friend is still suturing Sasuke, and Sakura is obviously too focused for any hanky-panky as of yet. A little conversation and back-story wouldn't hurt anything. And Ino wasn't too big to admit she was a nosy woman.

"Oh, hell yeah,"

"I'm guessing he deserved it?"

Naruto knew if he was going to tell anyone of Sasuke's little…conundrum, Ino would be the last person. She was the type that loved gossip and rumor, and having this over Sasuke would make her the queen of the hill.

After all, Naruto only threatened blackmail. Ino would actually follow through.

"He did."

Sakura pulls away, letting a slender finger move through the bangs plastered to Sasuke's forehead. It's hard to make out her voice because it's so light, but Sasuke had a strange undertone that carried without much pitch.

Both Ino and Naruto hold their breath, waiting for the words to find their ears.

"You're done?" Sasuke asks.

Sakura's laugh is louder than her reply. She takes a seat next to him, gathering his sullied shirt into her lap. "Yep, that's it! I told you they wouldn't have to leave."

Sasuke is quiet as he leans his forearms onto the tops of his thighs, successfully blocking his face and showing Ino and Naruto the angry red gash on the top of his head. He is thinking. He is thinking about what Naruto will say to her, and what he and Sakura were, and about the Jonin Exams and what he'll do the second they end.

"I was hoping Sakura would shave his head before she stitched it," Ino admits, causing Naruto to snort. Quickly he covers his mouth and closes his eyes, hoping their "fly on the wall" status hasn't been compromised.

Sakura places her hand gently on Sasuke's bare shoulder. "Are you sure you don't know who did this to you? You can tell me if it was Naruto. I promise not to kill him."

Sasuke leans away from her touch, turning his head slightly to show off his purple, rimmed eye. "Do you really think Naruto could knock me out?"

Again, Naruto has to hold back his scoff, and Ino pinches his cheek to make sure the man keeps quiet. Sasuke had an odd way of defending Naruto and insulting him simultaneously.

Ino whispers as silently as she can. "Look at how he doesn't even want her to touch him. What do you know about this skinship they've got going on?"

Naruto shakes his head. "I think there's a lot more to it than they're letting on."

And obviously, he's right.

"You saw him smile at her today, right? I've never seen him smile like that. Have you seen him smile like that? Because I've—"

She's talking too much, so Naruto cuts her off. He really doesn't know how Choji or Shikamaru handle her. Was she even good at missions? I guess there's no need to spy if Shikamaru can capture people long enough for Ino to do that weird head switch thingy. But still. "I have when we were younger."

"So it's friendly? Not, like, romantic..? Because I'm super confused."

Really, if he thought about it, only Sakura had ever received such a placid look from Sasuke. It's the kind of smile that is unrestrained, that looks like it takes no effort or muscle to pull off.

His eyes get bright like he's receiving a gift or getting something especially wonderful—kinda like when Naruto gets a bowl of ramen after a long day's work. But was that love?

Naruto really no clue on what true love and adoration was when he was just a boy. He actually thought he was in love with Sakura for a time. She was all he could think about, because she was an outcast like he was, even though she had a family. Strangely, seeing her all alone made him feel _better_. But now he understands that is a horrible way to view things. And though he loved her, and still does it is a different kind of feeling. It was nothing compared to the full, satisfying emotion of _completion_ he got in the presence of his wife. Being with Hinata had nothing to do with sympathy and empathy.

Now that Naruto thinks about it, perhaps whatever was going on between Sasuke and Sakura stemmed back to when they were all just snot-nosed, dirty haired runts running through forests, waiting for the Chunin exams to start. He can almost remember the first moment he'd remembered the change between them. It was like they ran off holding hands and snuck a few kisses here and there.

In the Forest of Death, Sasuke and Sakura relied on each other. And while Naruto used to be bitter about being separated, and about being alone to fend off a huge _fucking snake_ , he's happy that they could grow together as a team. He would probably never know what kind of events took place during his unconsciousness, but it had to have been something huge.

Sasuke had a bad habit of insulting everyone—even his elders by not calling them by their proper suffixes (though Naruto isn't much better at all). There was always one person he never purposefully tried to hurt. There was always one pink-haired, doe-eyed girl who he couldn't just tell to "fuck off" even when she screamed his name and wrapped her arms around him.

He's quiet for a while, not knowing how to answer Ino's question. The silence in the Hokage's office is cut short, however, when Sakura stands and takes as a step towards the door. +Before Ino and Naruto can book it out of there, Sasuke grabs her hand and pulls her back to him, forcing her to stumble back into his gravity. Ino is expecting her to land on his lap, and Naruto is expecting her to land on the floor, but Sakura is not a dame in a romantic comic. She can hold herself upright, no matter how forceful Sasuke's tug is.

And Sasuke knows this, because he knows just how amazing she is in even the most mundane of situations.

She's standing above his body, looking into his pale face for any signs of discomfort or stress. Sakura knows that she could offer him a painkiller of some sort, but his body would fight off the prescription and that would only cause him to use more energy. It was sad, but it was a life he chose for himself. Sasuke must deal with all of his aches. Sasuke can't use anything to ease his stress or his torment-not drugs, not alcohol, and not medication.

"Sasuke, are you alright? Can I help you in anyway?"

As a girl, Sakura would daydream about being Sasuke's savior. She would hope to heal all of his hurting with a simple smile, But, she is not a girl, and she is not ignorent. Something is on his mind and it has nothing to do with soreness.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

Ah, so that's what it was.

Sakura isn't surprised. She knew that the day would come when he would have to go back into the wilds until he was called upon for assistance to the village. She had expected him to just go—to not say anything as he left in the night because that was so incredibly _Sasuke_. It was almost easier for her to pretend that time wouldn't come, and to pretend everything would work out between them.

She smiles, though happiness does not meet her eyes. "Of course,"

"You…" Sasuke doesn't know what to say, or what to ask. He's always been good at reading emotions, and Sakura wore her heart on her sleeve. He can see disappointment and sadness easily. And though he cannot see hatred, he worries that it's because he never tries to look for it. Seeing anger towards him in her expression is…well…more than he could probably handle at this point in time. He has to ask. "You're mad at me?"

But she shakes her head fervently, furrowing eyebrows together in confusion. "Of course I'm not! I…I understand why you have to go, Sasuke. I hate that you're leaving, but I know why you've made that choice."

"It's not a choice," he says, tightening his grip on her wrist. He wants to explain. He wants to tell her that it has nothing to do with his feelings for her. "I'm obliged."

It's an intimate gesture, but Sakura is sure that she can get away with it in this moment. She cradles his face in her hands, letting strands of black hair wisp away and frame his dark, unequal eyes. He looks up at her and meets her eyes in a way that only Sasuke and Sakura can do, where they look beyond the physical and the mental and go straight to the spirit beneath.

Color blossoms to his cheeks and both Ino and Naruto are shocked to see the cold-hearted Uchiha is actually blushing.

The heat starts to spread over the bridge of his nose, and his eyebrows turn up while his lips turn down into a frown that holds more curiosity than sadness. He doesn't know what she will do, or what she will say.

"You're...protecting all of us." She begins. "You're protecting me, and I am so appreciative. Sasuke...thank you."

"Thank you?"

Sakura nods. "Thank you for following your heart and doing what you believe is right. Thank you for doing what you need to do, even if it's hard. Thank you for choosing the right path, and for leaving this village with good intentions."

He can feel her hands begin to tremble.

"I am...I am so proud of you, even if it hurts me that you'll have to be away. I know that you're an incredible and strong man, and I know that you're doing the righteous thing."

Her fingertips glide over his cheeks down to his chin, where she can prop it up gently. Her body moves closer, craving his lips, because no matter how many kisses they share it will never be enough. She knows she hasn't much time before her friends show back up. She knows that she hasn't much time with him _at all_. And every moment counted.

Every second meant so much.

In amazement, Ino and Naruto watch as Sasuke reaches up to tangle his hand within cotton-candy locks, deepening their contact. Sasuke is tired of soft pecks—almost as much as he's tired of interruption. He cannot control himself in Sakura's presence. He wants as much of her as she will give him. And when he breaks away, smoothing his mouth down along the curve of her neck to her covered shoulder, his black eye turns red and the eavesdroppers observe spinning tomoe.

They have been caught.

But Sasuke is not angry. He doesn't care for anyone to see him in this way-weak and red from a tiny woman with healing hands. He doesn't care for being to know just how strong the hold she had over him was. He doesn't care for anyone to know of his one true weakness.

Still, he doesn't hate them.

He is filled with too much of Sakura's love to worry about hating them.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **It's been another crazy week/weekend for me. My daughter got bitten and scratched at daycare pretty badly, and I've just been stressed beyond belief because I took over a night shift to make some extra money! Gahhh.**

 **I hope this chapter was good, and the next chapter should have a lemon and the start of the exams. Like I said, I'm shooting for 50 chapters so some of these may be super long or oddly short. Let me know if you have any questions and thank you all for following along with me! I will answer reviews sometime this week, so keep an eye on your inbox!**

 **Bless you all. You're all such good people. I hope that we can all end this story happily! DON'T CRY! I'M NOT CRYING! T.T**


	45. Chapter 45: I love you

Chapter 45: I love you.

A trickle of moonlight seeps from between blackout curtains. Shadows move slowly around the room, adjusting to the oscillating fan that circulates heavy, hazy air.

Sakura drags sleepy kisses down the curve of Sasuke's neck, letting her fingertips curl in the soft fabric of his shirt. She is too tired to sleep—too anxious, too sad. Today, The Jōnin Exams start. Tonight, Sasuke will leave her. There's so much rolling around within that sleep is certainly not an option.

"Are you awake?" Sakura asks softly, wondering if her words will get caught in the drone of her bedroom.

"Go to sleep." Sasuke replies.

It had been a long day for both of them, in between practice and drinking, and bar fights and stitches. Yet, Sakura cannot even close her eyes. Instead, the girl grips his cotton tee tighter and presses deeper into this warmth. "I'm trying…"

At this, Sasuke turns so he can meet her gaze. He blinks rapidly, adjusting to the grays of the bedroom. Sakura stays latched to his side, nuzzling into his chest to both hide her face and inhale his scent.

How long would his smell linger on these sheets?

"You'll pass the exams," He says. "You're strong."

She loved being praised by him, but she couldn't stop the groan that escaped from her mouth. He was so incredibly oblivious to her suffering. Or maybe, he thought _too_ highly of her. Maybe Sasuke thought she had a better plan for her life now that she was a woman, than to be preoccupying her thoughts with his gypsy soul.

It could be anything, with Sasuke.

He tucks wild strands of pink behind Sakura's curved ear and she moves her head slightly to regard him. "It's not that."

"Then, what is it?"

But he knew. He knew why she was melancholy and floppy and all frowns.

Their trip from the Hokage tower had been bathed in silence, and while Sasuke had no doubt that her previous words were genuine, even _he_ could understand how painful it was to be left behind.

But, it was even more painful to be the leaver. That was all this relationship was destined to be, wasn't it? It was full of unspoken words and angst and daydreams of a future that would never be. And though it is incredibly sadistic and mean on his part, Sasuke wishes to hear Sakura say exactly _what_ is weighing on her. Much like his eyes, his ears can remember even the slightest rise in someone's voice years and years into the future.

He wants to repeat her words throughout his travels.

Soon, he would remove this prosthetic arm so he could see the reminder of his sin against Naruto, and in his mind he would hear:

"I don't want you to go."

Her voice is more mature now, but it is the same Sakura who cried to him all those years ago. The same Sakura who _knew_ he was going to leave Konoha that night—who sat in the cold thinking of the right string of words and actions to keep him tied down.

 _"_ _I love you with all my heart! If you were to stay with me…there would be no regrets. Because every day we'd do something fun. We'd be happy…I swear! So…I would do anything for you! Please, just stay with me!"_

"I have to."

Sakura has grown so much. Even since he returned for these examinations, she's bloomed into the fine young thing against him.

It had been so long since he'd seen her in battle. In the Sage Realm, Sakura certainly didn't get a chance to shine. Batting against all of those robots and Cy-Lan had twisted something deep within Sasuke. Though his sway was physical at first, what with her twisting body twirling around like a weapon at his disposal, it led the way for a more profound way of thinking.

She was no longer the thin-limbed, timorous girl of her youth, and Sasuke is so incredibly attracted to her that it wasn't even _funny_.

"Why worry about later, when you have me right now?" He asks before leaning into her proximity. "Stop thinking about the Sasuke of the past, and the Sasuke of the future,"

Though it's dark, he can see her eyes roll sassily. "Don't act like you weren't thinking of my Genin days just now."

It's a snarky response, but she means to harm by it. Sakura smiles up at Sasuke and pushes upwards, planting a kiss upon his mouth that was meant to be innocent.

But something rumbles inside of Sasuke. Something erupts from his heart that breaks all of his previous resolve, because reality is just over the horizon and this may be the last time he'll ever get to be with Sakura in this way.

He is not innocent. Lidding mismatched eyes, the shinobi reaches out to the woman beside him and gathers her form tightly against his own. Through this closeness—through their chest upon chest mold and thigh upon thigh seal, Sasuke knows that there is even _closer_ and he wants that more than anything.

Sakura's mouth opens to his, meeting his tongue just as it curls through the entrance. She's careful not to gather his hair in her hands, because she knows his scalp is still tender.

His hands roam her temple like he is a warrior ready to trample upon sacred lands. Sliding up the length of her strong thighs, his fingertips trail the curve of her round ass while simultaneously raising the silk of her freshly washed negligee.

A cold hand brushes his cheek and Sakura breaks their kiss. "I want you."

He responds. "Me too,"

But does Sasuke understand? Does Sasuke know just how much her body craves his touch, his voice, his attention, his favor? She doesn't want only his heat inside of her, but also his heart.

Sakura wants him to love her.

Shaking her head, she throws her leg over his hip and leverages herself upwards, pressing him deeply into the plushness of her bed. Sakura can feel his _want_ at the apex of her legs. She knows _this_ want, but it's not the cure that she needs.

Sitting atop him, she bites her lip, trying to make him understand. "No, I want _you_."

Sasuke furrows his eyebrows. He's confused by the anguished shift in her features. Sakura's eyes seem to glow, shimmering with tears that were on the verge of spilling.

What did he do wrong? "I want you too, Sakura."

When he reaches out to her with his dominant hand, he frowns. This is not his flesh that is going to touch her. The tingling of that limb is unbearable in that moment, and more than anything he wishes to rip it off so that only _he_ can touch her like this.

Sasuke feels like an idiot. He's jealous of his own prosthetic.

It's then that she begins to weep, and Sasuke is less worried about who (or what) comforts her than her being comforted. With ease the man leans upwards and wraps both arms around her middle, pressing his face into the softness of her chest.

Their hearts thrum excessively, but for different reasons.

Sakura wants Sasuke to love her back. She doesn't want him to find another woman to make Uchiha children with. She's worried that, on his travels, he will forget all about the whiney, depressed, too-strong-for-her-own-good girl that preoccupied his time turning these last few months.

Sasuke is worried that he's not enough for her. He is worried that no matter how strong his feelings are, how hard he tries to get through to her, that neither she nor anyone else will believe him unless he commits great acts of blatant romanticism just to prove his heart.

Two jumbled souls battle their own minds, unaware of the truth that is thriving in the womb of her narrowed abdomen— the _proof_ of their love.

Rarely has Sasuke ever been afraid of anything. Yet, his hands tremble and his ribs are getting hammered by the nervous cadence within him.

What should he do to make her understand?

How can he show her that she means so much to him?

Her voice starts to catch and he chances a glance, only to have his stomach clench at the disdained expression that she portrays. It's so much like the girl he left behind. And it fucking _sucks,_ because this time he is not leaving to fight his country, but to fight _for_ his country.

When Sakura's eyes open, she sees the fullness of Sasuke's face. His eyes are squeezed shut and her tears roll down the edges of his high cheekbones. He looks like a painting. Embarrassed, the woman brushes away saltine droplets, wiping away the ones that trail down her own chin.

Somehow, wetness still gathers on the mans face, and it takes her a brief, shocked moment to realize that it's not _her_ tears she's wiping away.

Slowly, the man opens his eyes, showing the shimmering glitter of coal black and dazzling violet. He has never looked so broken to her. His voice had never been so feeble. "I'm sorry,"

It was strange, seeing the strongest person you knew in such a fragile state. Sakura wraps her legs tighter around him, letting his wet face press into the dip of her neck as they curse this world they live in.

"Don't be sorry," Sakura says. " _I'm_ the one who is sorry. We're all have jobs to do. I shouldn't be acting like a spoiled brat."

His words are muffled by her breasts. "You're not a brat."

"I'm going to stop this hatred, Sasuke." She begins. "I'm going to become a Jōnin, and I'm going to open a mental health clinic for children. No more kids will feel alone."

Sasuke breaks away from her again, meeting a gaze that is hard and determined.

"No more will ever feel like how you Naruto and many of our enemies felt. I'll stop this sick carousal of abused children and angered adults once in for all, even if it kills me."

He is completely amazed at the change in her demeanor. Her hands are squeezing tightly on his shoulder as she is speaking, but she is in a different world right now. He rarely gets to see this side of her, because he's sure it's shut down or ran away from. This is the Sakura that can talk for hours about surgery or the way the brain works.

"You need to leave, even if I don't want you to. You need to protect us, so I can protect _them._ Okay? So let's cry and say our goodbyes, and then tomorrow we can both become Jōnin and make a better future for _everyone_."

He feels her grip tighten.

"Don't you change your mind just because I'm going to miss you—okay? I'm strong. I can handle this! It hurts but I'm a woman now you know? I'll be too busy with work anyways. And I'll write you letters if you want. I'll send you photos when Naruto has his baby, and maybe if I have a mission we can meet up and spend some time together."

"Sakura,"

"We can do this, Sasuke! We can only go up from here... Eh—?"

Before she continues her speech, Sasuke has reclaimed the sweetness of her mouth. Beautifully pulsating lips press into his own as he searches out the drugging intoxication of her tongue. Sasuke sweeps seductively, consuming the sentences she will never get a chance to utter. His body is on fire and shaking—he's never gone through so many emotions in the span of such little time.

"Why do you do this to me?" He asks, sliding his right hand across her lower stomach.

Sakura finds the air to mutter a few words back. "Payback."

He's become frustrated with the silk of her nightgown, and craves the silk of her skin. He pulls away briefly, only to tug off the material, but the rosy flush of her body halts him in his tracks.

Naked, straddling his upper legs, sits a sun-warm goddess with freed breasts that are honey-soft and aching for his touch. Down the fleshy dip of a bare midriff and between the valleys of her legs sits black lace, shear enough to see only slight hints of peach.

She's perfect, in every way.

Their lips meet again and now the steamy lava of their torso's enmesh. Sasuke's not worried about staying upright anymore and they fall back into the mattress, slipping rich heat past each other's teeth.

Sakura adds more pressure to her legs so she can lift from his stomach, only to feel his calloused palm press into the lushness of both breasts once freed. She bites at his bottom lip to keep herself level, because the sensation is just as mind-blowing as her first time. Her beaded tips are captured between his knuckles, near the webbing of his hands.

He moves downwards to her ribs. Sasuke doesn't stop until the swollen, dusky crests are level with his face, even when her head hits the headboard with a not-so-soft thump.

Sasuke's mouth is searing to her flesh. Gentle sucking turns to hungry lashing; both ends are being whisked and rolled until Sakura cannot take such torture any longer and her fingers tangle within the thick, ebony locks that have been recently shampooed.

He hisses against a delicate rosebud, releasing his mouth to trail the underside of her pert swells and between the juts of her ribs until a delicious bellybutton greets his lips.

In this lewd position, Sakura's heat is pressed firmly over Sasuke's own ribcage. Both legs straddle his upper body fully, and both knees are tucked just below his underarms. The wooden bedpost shakes from Sakura's trembling pressure, and her fevered forehead rests harshly against its surface.

From his view, he can see the underside of Sakura's chin, her lip that is captured between sharp teeth, and tightly shut eyes that hide the jade within.

Pressing his cheek to her lower belly, Sasuke sighs. "You're beautiful,"

She grants him view of her irises and looks at his boyish face. He's always been something of a spectacle for her. In his youth, she saw him as ripe for the kill—not yet a man, but not really a child either. And when he was a rampaging teen, hell-bent on his own pseudo-righteous morals, he was a prime cut of murderous intent.

All of that power is beneath her, trapped between her legs, kissing the stretchmarks and lines that trail to her most sensitive of areas. Smiling genuinely, Sakura traces circles across the tops of his cheekbones and over the bridge of his nose.

"You don't mean that." He cannot possibly mean it. Of all of the women he's probably been with, the most striking about _Sakura_ is her cherry-blossom strands. "But, thank you anyways."

She halts his movements by the sadness in her tone. Gripping both hipbones firmly, Sasuke responds. "I do mean it."

Sakura doesn't want this. She doesn't want to feel sorry for herself, but she can feel the twisted hands of pity start to grab at her heart.

Why does this always happen? Why do good things between her and Sasuke always seem to be interrupted? Was this their destiny?

"And when do I seem beautiful to you, Sasuke?" She asks, leaning back down. Her hands find his wrists and she uses him to grind her own hips, moving that lacy cloth up and down the length of his full, pulsating flesh. "Am I beautiful when I do this?"

The friction is addicting. His muscles clench at her movements—she shows no signs of slowing down. Each rub makes Sasuke bite his lip harder, so hard that he's afraid he might just tear through it. Everything is fuzzy in his head. He closes his eyes. "You're always beautiful."

She grabs his chin forcefully, making him look up at her. Her body doesn't stop rocking, even as she speaks. "How far back does "always" go? How many other women do you call beautiful when they're riding you?"

For a second, Sasuke blinks and sees pure white skin and red-lined eyes. Black hair twists in a katsuyama style, adorned with flowers and trinkets that move with each naked bounce.

 **That was not _sex,_ though.**

 _"_ No one," Sasuke hisses, forcing her to sit still.

But Sakura is flooded with emotion. She rolls her eyes, trying not to sound hurt—or jealous. "I'm no fool; don't treat me like one."

"Where is this coming from?" He asks, sitting up. Sakura tries to brush him off, to turn her head and just stop talking, but he won't let her. He captures her face and kisses her roughly as if to reiterate his point. "I've **never** seen you as a fool."

She jerks her face away from his hold. "I just find it _funny_ that I've only ever seemed beautiful to you _after_ we've—after I—after…"

"That's not true." Because it wasn't, and instead of simply thinking of all of the ways he's found Sakura to be mesmerizing, he decides to cut out the middle man and speak exactly what is on his mind. "I've been attracted to you for a very, very long time."

The sun is already starting to come out, reminding him of how they've only got a few hours left. The darkness of the night inches out of her bedroom to welcome in a new day—a day where they will fight to become Jōnin and a night Sasuke will disappear into.

He remembers his conversation with Naruto. He knows what Sakura deserves. Before he leaves this village, Sakura will know just how much she means to him—he's already decided. She's at least entitled to that.

In front of everyone, Sasuke will tell the truth about how he feels. And it is the most terrifying thing he's ever _thought_ about doing.

"How long is a long time for you, Sasuke? Because a very, very long time to _me_ is how long I've loved you—and I know you couldn't possibly have seen me as anything more than a nuisance _then_."

He takes a deep breath, letting both arms wrap loosely around her narrow, bare waste. "I might have loved you even longer."

Her confusion would have made him laugh, if he wasn't so uneasy.

He can't really remember a time when he was so… _afraid…_ to admit his feelings aloud. And although Sakura is one of the very few people on this earth that he trusted, it's still inexplicably _painful_ to speak of things like this. He cannot even hide the feathering blush that darkens his skin.

"I am not…good…with these things. I am not a poet, or a dreamer. I am a man of few words and of little action."

Each struggled sentence seems to deepen Sakura's confused expression. Still, he trudges on.

"Memories of my youth are not bathed in happiness. But the most vivid ones are of my family, and the darkness that spread through my soul after their demise."

Sakura knows that this is something he needs to say, so she stops herself from interjecting. Suddenly, an awful feeling wells up in the pit of her stomach. She has no doubt that her moodiness is in relation to that looming _time of month_ , and the fact that Sasuke's third departure is just around the corner, and the fact that she's been stressed out beyond **_belief_**. Still, it does not excuse her flip-flopping behavior.

Sasuke is only human, and his past shouldn't affect her like it does. She knows so little about the man beneath her.

"But I also remember Naruto. I remember his idiotic antics, and his goofy grins, and his carefree attitude regardless of the rumors and words spoken behind his back. He had never had the chance of a family, and I didn't feel sorry for him—even though he didn't have friends. I thought that it was something he had put on himself. _I chose_ not to develop those bonds."

Little did Sasuke know, those bonds had already been ingrained.

"You, Sakura—you were an enigma." Sasuke pulls her closer to him. "You not only had the _chance_ of a family. You _had_ one. And you searched desperately for friends. Somehow, we were all alone and linked together in very different ways. You met Ino, and Naruto befriended Iruka, and I was left with my revenge. It makes me grateful to those people—because neither of you felt the loneliness that I did. It hurts me that, when I left you, I put it right back on your heart."

Her eyes mellow at his tone. It's as though he's lost in his own world—in a past that shaped him.

"You were annoying to me, but not in the way that Naruto was. You had every _right_ to be magnificent, yet you worried about the length of your hair and the size of your waist. Your intelligence was superior, but your drive was lacking. And that _bothered_ me. How could someone who had a family, and who had friends, not use those blessings to better herself?"

Before Sakura can retort, or even try to defend her younger self, Sasuke continues.

"You were annoying to me for other reasons too. It frustrated me that you could smile at Naruto with _no hatred_ or jealousy. And he could _smile back._ I hated that my first instinct, before saving my own skin, was to help you. Your hair, when it was short, showed the back of your neck and exposed more of your face and I couldn't handle all of the expressions you started to give."

"What do you mean? I—"

"You grinned at Naruto like he was your family. And you looked at me like how my mother looked at my father. I hadn't seen that in a _long_ time, and I hated that it was  taken away from me more than I loved seeing it from you."

His next movements are sure and precise. He dances his fingertips down to the elastic of those black panties, dipping his thumb past the hem. When Sasuke kisses her again, it's the slowest it's ever been. With a gentle pivot, Sakura is on her back and looking upwards at the pure-eyed man that is confessing his most genuine feelings to her. Her lips tremble and her core throbs, because all she wants is to be one with him again.

Sasuke knows this, because he wants it too. He lets her reach towards his straining manhood and a brief sense of relief floods through his soul as he the tight pressure is lifted.

That relief is short-lived and replaced with an even hungrier desire. The desire to burry himself within that tightness—to feel taut legs wrap around him as he glides to and fro.

"I'm sure that, if things had been different, you would have been someone I would have coveted." He says into the dimness of her room.

"And what am I to you now?" Sakura asks breathlessly.

The man hooks his fingers around that cloth once more and slides it down the length of those thick, delicious thighs. "You're mine."

She takes in a heavy breath. "You can't say that you loved me then. Or that you thought I was beautiful. There's no way I can believe that."

She cannot help the way she truly feels. If he want's her for now, then he should say it. But she refused to be led on.

"You're right," He responds, brushing his fingers against dainty toes as he fully undresses her. "But only partly. I have no idea if I loved you then, because it's different from how I love you now."

Her heart stops beating. A billion different things have run through her head up until this point. She expected him to cut things off with her. She expected a non-ceremonious goodbye, making love _one last time_ , a cold at best, she hoped to wake up next to him in the morning, and hoped that his departure wouldn't tear her into pieces.

But what she did not expect was this. She cannot even move to form any time of expression or sentence.

Her silence only makes him speak more.

"I am no longer a confused adolescent who is filled with hatred and vile thoughts. I know what I want, and who I want. I want you and I want your love, and I want you to accept mine right back."

Perhaps this isn't the big announcement she was entitled to. Things between Sasuke and Sakura would never be movie-worthy. There was no moon-silhouette or dancing cherry-petals to add to the scene.

It was simply man and woman, in their rawest of forms.

"Say it," She begs.

Finally, Sasuke sinks deep into her heat. Again and again, an age-old rhythm, one call and one answer. Sakura arches with abandoned longing, colliding in their perfect cadence. He presses down and she meets with an upward thrust, rising against his touch.

Nails find their way to the blades of his shoulders, etching out a hidden language as if it would help the ecstasy building within. Closer it builds, coiling into a ball at the base of Sasuke's pelvis. He fought for his breath as her labored lungful's panted hotly over his collarbone.

It's too soon to abandon himself within her. There's so much more to be said. It's something that should have been announced eons ago.

She waits expectantly beneath him, and he watches her hair muse into a tangled mess with each one of his thrusts. Her face starts to show the familiar signs of enjoyment, but she want's something more than an orgasm.

Sasuke leans down, never stopping his motion. Into the shell of her ear, past that untamed fringe of pink forelocks, he presses his mouth to her outer lobe.

"I love you, Sakura. I love you."

And this girl who has fought for him, loved him, and stayed by his side for most of his life says it back. "I love you too,"

Before he has a chance to fill her, Sakura crashes around his pumping member, wrapping it with every inch of her inner flesh. This is the moment he loves the most, when she grits her teeth and cries out his name and crosses her ankles over his back.

She's too sensitive right now to continue—he knows this. He knows this because he can read her body like it's an extension of his own. But it has never been about a simple release with Sakura.

Sasuke falls on top of her, still inside, enjoying the aftershock of her orgasm and her dainty mewls.

"You didn't…?"

Sasuke kisses behind her ear, along her jawline, right to her lips. "It's fine."

Light streams in now from the slit of her curtains. The fan hums dully, circulating the scent of their sex and perspiration. They've only a few hours left before they must get ready—both need a shower and a heavy breakfast.

By all means, Sakura should feel completely satisfied. Yet, there is something within that simply feels like there's more to be done. The girl writhes until Sasuke rolls away from her. His forearm covers those mysterious eyes, blocking the slight sliver of sunlight from their surface.

He assumes that she is getting up to shower, or even adjust the blankets so she can catch a good hour of sleep. So, imagine his surprise when the warm, soft wetness of Sakura's mouth gathers around his ridged male heat in one fell swoop.

It's such a sudden pressure that he cannot _possibly_ help the hitch in breath and the choked expletive that streams out between his lips. The girl grasps his member with one hand, still bobbing up and down his impressive length as she works him into submission.

She is a temptress. She is wise, and powerful, and cunning even with her few years. Each stroke sends him closer over the edge; each swirl of her tongue sends him deeper into her throat, and just when that familiar tension starts to build again Sakura pulls away.

Oh yes, she _is_ a temptress.

Her hand keeps pumping, but her face is unmoving. She looks at Sasuke with expectancy.

The man lets out a breathy laugh, tangling his fingertips within her pink hair. "I love you, Sakura,"

And only then does she allow him to guide her back to his manhood, where he can arch his back and bite out her name and explode lightning bolts of fulfillment deep within her mouth.

When she's had her fill, the vixen wipes her lips and makes her way back on top of his body. She lays her head on his chest, listening to the rapid heartbeat that kicks against her cheek. Everything flutters within her. For some strange reason, it feels as though—

"I feel like I belong."

Sakura looks up at him. "I was literally just thinking the same thing. It's like I was made for you. I fit perfectly."

He shoots her one of his rare smiles, reserved only for her. " _I_ fit perfectly."

Somehow, she still manages to turn beet red.

"I…idiot…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **This is probably the last sex-scene for this story that I'll write, but don't hold me to it. I hope it was fluffy and satisfying, because next chapter I will start the final stage FOR SURE. And yes, I will add a bit of Sarada! Hehe.**

 **Oh, can I ask you guys a favor? Can ya'll tell me which parts of this story you HATED or you feel could be left out? And what is your favorite scene? I want to add a future-flash at the beginning chapter of this story that will hook new readers. So what did you read that REALLY made you love this?**

 **Thanks for your help, and PLEASE answer U.U**


	46. Chapter 46: Sasuke is no Prince Charming

Chapter 46: Sasuke is no Prince Charming.

Fried squid had never made Sakura nauseous before. When she was a young girl, it was actually one of her favorite snacks. She remembers her loose kimono and delicately tied hair; she remembers the smells of the festival and fireworks and foods wafting from various venders all around.

She would blame the sudden queasiness on her nerves, if she were nervous in the least. She would even, perhaps, say that it was just a _bad_ fish. A fish that had been sitting out too long—a fish that had been coated with soured batter.

However, the way Ino was scarfing it down demolished those theories completely.

"I'm so freaking pumped," The girl says, tearing into the meat with her canines. "Tag me in and I'll rip your opponent to shreds."

Sakura rolls her eyes and steps away, a little bit closer to the trashcan and away from the slow moving crowds. "This isn't a wrestling match. You had your chance to battle—you lost."

All morning Ino had been mouthing non-stop. She and a few of their friends, including Choji and his dark-skinned lover, Karui, had all gathered to meet the final contenders in the early hours of the morning. It wasn't necessarily a joyous meeting, but it _was_ a nostalgic one. Sakura could feel her heart swelling—everyone was growing up, leaving their nests, building families and finding their places in this world.

Ino had decided to follow Sakura around as they surveyed the new coliseum. Every so often, the blonde would stop for fried foods and soft drinks and sweet desserts. Eating calmed her nerves, and somehow, though she wasn't even a participant, the girl was oozing anxiety.

"There are only fourteen people left," She begins, taking one final bite. "So it's not like I'm _the worst_ or anything, forehead."

Of course, the Legendary Three had all made the list. Out of the rest Rookie 9, Shino and Kiba were the only two who had hung on until the end, which was no surprise. If it were up to Sakura, _everyone_ in her class would have Jōnin status—they all certainly deserved it. In fact, every single one of them had done enough to prove they were far _beyond_ that of Jōnin.

Kakashi was so by the book, it wasn't even funny.

"With my luck, I'll probably have to face someone I know." Sakura murmurs more to herself than anyone else. How awful would it be if she were pitted against Naruto or Sasuke?

"Yeah, like Rock Lee. What the hell is he doing here, anyways?"

Sakura smiles and leans against the railings, looking for a familiar green jumpsuit. "I wouldn't mind fighting Lee. He's fast, but I'm strong. I think it would be a good match up."

They spend time surveying the area, checking the throngs of people for familiar faces or ANBU personnel. Out of the masses, a glowing goddess approaches with timidity and friendliness, waving out a dainty "Hello."

Hinata was wearing a loose-fitting dress that curtained down from her chest in a way that hid her feminine curves without giving off a frumpy, two-sizes-too-big look. Her hair had been cut to her collarbone, curling inwards with a slight sweep. It was neither short nor long, and somehow it suited the mother-to-be perfectly.

Placing a pale hand on Ino's shoulder, the woman happily joins in.

"Well, look at you!" Ino declares, running her palm along the hidden bump of Hinata's belly. "You've got a new hairstyle, a new wardrobe, and your nails are done too! The pregnant life is treating you well, eh?"

She pokes both of her painted index fingers together shyly. "I…I've never worn nail polish before."

Sakura turns up her nose. "That's because it makes sense. It's practical, afer all. they'd just get ruined out in the field."

"That never stopped you," Ino scoffs.

"I only did it _twice._ " Sakura retorts just as haughtily.

As the friends go back and forth, Hinata scans the arena for her husband. He had gotten home late the night before, and was gone long before she had even had a chance to awake this morning. Being away from him when he was _so close_ was almost unbearable. She bites her lip, wondering how she will handle this lifestyle when he became the Hokage.

She spots orange and yellow up in the Hokage suite and feels air refill her lungs as she recognizes his familiar, arms-crossed posture.

Naruto is serious and solemn, which is very rare to see. Her eyes follow the deep frown lines etched on his face and his furrowed eyebrows that dip together in both anger and reservation.

"I wonder w-what they're talking about?" Hinata stutters. She points a slender finger towards the Kage booth, causing both women to turn and scan the upper section.

Sakura's vision takes in Sasuke first. Both he and Naruto flank their former sensei, each carrying stern, no-nonsense expressions. Something grim must be going on between the three. With his hands on his hips and his chin held high, Sakura can see why the Uchiha are so aristocratic and domineering. He looks every bit as important as the two men to his right.

"Kakashi's probably telling them to reel it in," Ino responds. "You know, so they don't end up killing themselves, and leveling Konoha."

The kunoichi catch their friend's heartbroken expression just before Hinata hides it behind her layered bangs. "I've been dreading this. If it's a random matchup, what are the odds that they'll have to face one another?"

Sakura understands Hinata's worry all too well. She's not sure if she should feel grateful that someone else carries the same turmoil within them, or saddened that it has claimed yet another victim.

The pink-haired woman rubs Hinata's back reassuringly. "They'll be fine. Naruto is mature now, and Sasuke isn't as dark as he once was. It will be an amazing battle, if we're graced to see it."

"I…I guess I'm just feeling a bit emotional…"

Ino drapes her arm around the Uzumaki Bride's slender shoulders, shoving Sakura out of the way. "That's understandable, considering your hormones are all out of whack. You're probably super busy making a lung or a penis right now."

Hinata's laugh is so genuine and whimsical, even the people around send an eavesdropping smile. Touching her belly compassionately, Sakura watches a deep glow surround white, inherited eyes as she caresses her abdomen. " _She's_ very active. I can feel her flutter all of the time."

"Oh, "she", huh?" Sakura asks, placing her hand on her swollen stomach. "My intuition said it was a boy!"

Ino pops in. "You totally cheated and used your Byakugan, didn't you?"

Hinata sticks her tongue out. "I can't see anything besides chakra points."

In an overly dramatic fashion, the blonde throws her arms out and hops directly into Hinata's line of sight. "Look at my womb! Look at my womb! Am I pregnant? You can tell, can't you?"

Sakura doesn't even bother to hide her chuckle. "Sai's only been back for a few days!"

"All it takes is once, you know!

"Or twice," Hinata coyly jumps in.

"Or ten or so times…" Sakura finishes.

They all share a snicker, covering their lips in the way that gossiping, blushing children do.

As they carry on, speaking animatedly about things that didn't matter, Sakura finds that she is drawn to a certain area of the crowd.

A man purchases some popcorn for his granddaughter, and an older woman drinks hot tea at one of the scattered luncheon tables. To her left, walking through the open doors of the food section, Sakura sees her parents just as they enter.

Sakura, of course, would recognize those two anywhere. If her father's brilliant purple locks hadn't been a dead giveaway, she would have recognized his familiar gait—as she shared it with him. He was broad shouldered and long legged, yet only took half-length steps.

Her mother, who had a thick sweep of yellow fringe over her forehead, gave Sakura her strong legs and thick thighs. She had hands that were big, but gentle, and a temper that could rival a raging bear.

Sakura is frozen, unsure whether to scream out their names or turn and act like she hadn't seen them.

It had been a while since either of them had spoken to her. Not since the… … _coitus interruptus_ incident. At least once per week her mother's austere voice would hiss out of the telephone receiver. And every month Sakura tried to have some sort of get-together with them.

But somehow, everything felt _wrong_. She was both embarrassed and _ashamed_ at how things went down. The worst part was that, until she saw them now, the situation hadn't even crossed her mind.

Biting her lip, she takes a step towards her parents, wondering what she would say to them and how to thank them for showing up to her match. As she walks out, Ino pulls at her hand spins her around.

Kakashi's covered face is in the center of the curved screen that dangles above the tall battle arena. A deep, echoing voice blasts from the various speakers that are positioned all around the coliseum, and her former sensei makes his long-awaited announcement.

"All participants are to meet at entrance number one. The Jōnin Exams will commence shortly."

* * *

Sasuke was fueled. The inside of his cheek had been bitten raw. His outward appearance was that of calm collectedness, but it was the exact opposite of his internal seething.

Both he and Naruto followed Kakashi out of his suite and towards the first entrance. It was a large, grandiose bunker that would lead directly towards the battle area. In the center sat a winding staircase that opened up to a loft for the participants to watch their brethren battle and wait for their names to be called out. It smelled new—like freshly mixed cement and woodchips.

Naruto clicks his tongue. "What's the point of battling if I'm not even at my full strength?"

Kakashi bites out his reply. "Your arguing will not change my mind. There are a lot of people here, and a stray tail—or _nine_ stray tails aren't going to be their downfall. Wear the shackles and fight in the match, or forfeit and don't become Hokage."

They bound down a heavy set of stairs, moving quickly to join the other twelve fighters.

"When am I gonna be that weak though? When I'm Hokage I'll have all of my chakra. Don't put those things on me again. I'm not a wild-child anymore, I can control myself!"

Sasuke saw all sides of this argument. He understood Kakashi's position. If, by some chance, he and Naruto were pitted together, it would be a glorious battle that would undoubtedly cause severe repercussions. It's his duty to protect his people.

But, he and Naruto weren't reckless teens. Sasuke no longer wished to kill anyone, and his blond brother wanted nothing more than to be the same savior that Kakashi was as the Rokudaime.

"Naruto," Sasuke says. "It's fair for the others. I don't like not having full access to all of my strength, either. If Hinata were still in this, and she were placed up against me, having some sort of handicap would be justifiable wouldn't it?"

There's a long pause, but Naruto huffs and crosses his arms behind his head. "Whatever,"

Taking their respective places beside Kakashi, they wait for the others to file in.

A woman with green hair comes in first. Her face is pierced and tattooed with all sorts of jewelry and symbols. Each step is bold and confident, and Sasuke's analyzing eyes cannot help but monitor her demeanor.

The twin blades on her back are intriguing.

Others make their way in, lining up in a single file line ahead of their leader. Sasuke recognizes Shino Aburame in his high-collared shirt and dark sunglasses. He smells Kiba before he arrives. Two girls, no older than 16, come in holding hands and laughing flirtatiously—neither seem to be very interesting or powerful in the least.

Sasuke feels Naruto's penetrating gaze. He leans back to peer at the man behind Kakashi, picking up the saddest excuse of a whisper there was. "I hope I get to fight Hojo."

And, as if Naruto's words were an introduction, Hojo walks in with a sickeningly sweet expression plastered to his face and a hand pressed between Sakura's shoulder blades as he ushers her into the bunker.

Sasuke had seen Sakura get ready this morning. He watched her pile wispy tendrils into that very same high-ponytail she wore in this moment. He watched as she slid on those tight black leggings, shooting him a sly smile because they both knew her spandex shorts would reveal the marks he'd left between her thighs.

He'd seen it all, but why was his body reacting this way to seeing it again?

The boots she had on were calf-length, clicking throughout the small, empty room as she follows behind Hojo who is explaining something to her fervently.

Her red dress is short in the front and long in the back, exposing her tiny bellybutton as it tapers off on either side of her feminine curves. Two jade bangles grip onto her slender wrists delicately, and when she tucks a loose strand of her thick bangs behind her ear, Sasuke sees his brother's ring shine as it picks up the artificial lighting in the room.

Nothing she wears is risqué. Nothing she does should be seen as sensual. But somehow, everything about her sends a shockwave throughout Sasuke like he's channeling _Chidori_ throughout his own nervous system.

He crosses his arms, angry at his own blatant weakness, as he waits for Kakashi to get on with his introductions and explanations. He looks out beyond the gathering crowd to the clock on the wall behind them, counting each tick that inches its way past the number 9.

Finally, with a bold step, the Hokage stands and waves out a single arm towards the contestants and halts their chatter completely. "Congratulations," he begins in a voice that conveys no emotion "This has been a very difficult contest. I extend my awe and my gratitude to those of you who have progressed, despite mechanical mistakes and failures on behalf of my team and the electronics systems."

Naruto leans back, hissing to Sasuke in his loud, not-so whisper. "Hey, Sasuke, he's talking about you."

Sasuke replies non-verbally, flashing his middle finger.

Gracefully stomping on his successor's toe, causing the Kyuubi to gather his foot in both hands and hop around, the Hokage continues. "For this round, I will make things as simple as possible; no robots, no demi-dimensions. We will all have a simple one-on-one battle."

A collective, thankful sigh washes over the participants.

"In the event of a forfeit, in which a participant does not show or gives up the battle, I will personally decide who will gain their title."

At this point in time, two familiar bodies steps into the room. Sasuke shifts his gaze from the clock to Shikamaru, who casually drops his lit cigarette to the ground and stomps it out with the back of his heel.

"You're early," Kakashi greets.

"The faster I'm here, the faster it's all over," He mumbles back.

Beside him, Karin adjusts her glasses and hides a laptop under the curve of her arm. Immediately her eyes fall on Sasuke, and the two share a moment that somehow reminds Karin of the first time they met.

She sees a flash, a large bear, a gentle smile. Her haze dissipates with three heavy blinks, causing the adolescent to morph into the adult before her. She can separate the old Sasuke from the new one, easily.

Without meaning to, she lets herself fall into the dark ebb of his chakra. Though it's not near as demonic as it used to be, it wouldn't be " _Sasuke_ " if there wasn't a twinge of his bittersweet, sadistic, and tormented soul.

Before that familiar, attractive heat can convulse through her, Shikamaru sighs out a lazy greeting.

"I'm the proctor," he says. "I stop the fights if they get out of hand. I keep it fair. Do me a favor and _don't_ make me step in."

There's a chuckle from both Kiba and Sakura, because they find his laziness to be nostalgic and comforting. Karin looks at the girl before her, and feels a mixture of emotion well inside. She is so carefree right now, living a life of love that only existed in fairytales. Sasuke was no Prince Charming.

"Always, here's a quick walkthrough about how this is going to go down." He glances at Karin, who opens her laptop and starts the elaborate PowerPoint she'd finished just minutes before with the aide of Suigetsu and hot coffee.

There are fourteen, poorly drawn bodies all gathered in a circle. In the middle, the giant, curved TV screen that gives everyone an up-close and personal view of each fight is highlighted to display two random names.

"Two people will be picked. They will take their places opposite of each other and the dome will close. Inside of the dome, they cannot see _you_ , but _you_ can see them. The only person you will see and hear during your battle is your opponent."

Sakura nods mostly to herself, watching as the computer displays Shikamaru's words in a visual manor.

"Before your battle starts, while you are being read the rules and regulations, the crowd will watch…what are they called?"

"Music videos, Shikamaru," Karin repeats for the umpteenth time that day.

"Right, "music videos" for each of you to show everyone a little bit of your past and childhood—who you are, where you came from, what your goals are, your battle style—things like that."

Suddenly, there's a lump in Naruto's throat. His hands turn sticky and he tightens his lips, wondering just _what_ they would show everyone about his childhood.

Many people knew nothing of the _old_ Naruto Uzumaki. They only knew of the village savior, the Hokage-to-be, and the sweet, understanding man that shared and showed kindness to everyone.

He and Kurama didn't used to be on good terms, after all. Naruto was somewhat of a holy terror.

The blonde looks over, past Kakashi, to see that Sasuke is unbelievable displaying the same expression as he was.

* * *

Sakura thrummed her fingernails on her thigh. Of the twelve people in this room, she only knew four on a first name bases. Shino was a quiet, creepy kind of guy that never really bothered with silly things like small talk. Lee was much too busy watching the arena to carry on a conversation. And Kiba was acting like a wild animal, holding his body over the railings dangerously as the crowd roared with excitement.

On the giant screen, Sakura can see that the camera crews have turned towards this bunker, filming the inhabitants as newscasters gave a play-by-play over what these fights entailed.

"I would have never thought _you_ would be nervous." Hojo says, walking up behind Sakura. She was expecting him to find his way to her eventually, but the first match hadn't even begun yet.

"I'm not nervous in the slightest." Sakura replies as the crowd starts to chant. Names fly across the Jumbotron—ones that are familiar and foreign to her. After a few more seconds, two people finally pop up—Sato Uri and Guru Shodai. The two men stand, eyeing each other suspiciously as they make the short trek down the spiraled staircase to the center of the arena.

Sakura doesn't mean to be rude, but she is incredibly interested in these "music videos" Karin had produced. She had no idea how wonderful the girl was with computers. Having someone like her in the hospital would be a life-savor, as most intellectuals tend to steer clear of the clinic.

Instead of staying in his area, Hojo takes his place by her side and crosses his arms gently. "Are you and Uchiha fighting?"

The question is perplexing.

Sakura didn't _think_ Sasuke was upset at her, and she certainly wasn't angry at him. Yet, the entire time he stood beside Kakashi, he'd only looked towards the group _once_ , and that was to watch Karin as she walked in.

The pink-haired woman had no idea just how closely tied those two really were. Sasuke must have thought highly of her to have the woman travel around with him in his search for Itachi. She often wondered, if she had trained harder as a girl, would Sasuke had knocked her out that night? Surly monstrous strength would have only benefited him at that time. Still, in many ways, she's thankful for his decision. Sakura wasn't sure she'd be able to live with herself if she followed the same dark path Sasuke had turned down on.

"Not that I know of," She answers honestly.

Suddenly, the speakers around them start to belt a popular, melancholic song that played frequently on the radio. The slow piano opening leads syncs beautifully with the scene presented, showing flashes of Sato's life first.

Sakura is amazed by how far back the film is. There's a grainy, highly edited snapshot of the man coloring on his notebook, drawing himself in a Hokage wardrobe. The crowed "awe's" and cheers as the man seemingly grows with them. They watched as he threw his first kunai, and as he completed the transformation jutsu effortlessly to pass the academy. He's a young man, running through the woods, trying to capture a certain loose kitten, and then he's a fully formed teen slamming his fist into his opponents cheekbone to win the Chunin exams.

Throughout the video, his voice echoes around. "I'm gonna protect you and everyone in this village!" He yelled. "Man, can't they give us a better mission than this?" He complained.

"I like that about you." Hojo says quietly, pulling her from mind away from the Jumbotron. "You've always been so sure of yourself."

Sakura turns towards Hojo, who acts like he's more interested in the second participants live than what's going on right now. His words make her smile, but not in a happy way. She shakes her head, amazed at how little the man knew about her.

"I'm sure of my strength now, but it certainly hasn't always been like that."

Her friend turns towards her. She can tell, by the way he leans in when he speaks, that he is still has feelings for her. It's much more obvious now that she is not drunk in love with Sasuke.

Don't get her wrong—her feelings are just as strong as they have always been. But slowly the newness and the amazement of being someone Sasuke actually _bothered with_ had started to fizzle out of her system.

Sakura no longer felt like an ugly duckling.

So now that she can see Hojo's advances as clear as day—though she swears she's already spoken to him about such forwardness—Sakura refuses to lead him on or do anything to make him think that something can evolve from their _very slight_ friendship.

Sakura feels like an idiot for not taking him seriously before, but hindsight was always 20/20.

Still, she does feel as though he deserves kindness. After all, Hojo is a good man and some other girl who wasn't already in love would certainly be blessed to have him.

Sakura knows better than anyone that feelings don't easily change. It will take a lot of time for Hojo to move past her, if he really was "in love" to begin with. It's not in her nature to treat someone badly.

"No way," He mutters, wincing as the ground below them shakes from a body being thrown into the wall. He looks back towards the battle, but speaks to the woman beside him. "I wouldn't have ever guessed that."

"I'm a lot different than who I used to be. I mean, we all are—Naruto and Sasuke and I. I don't know what Karin has on me, but I'm sure you'll be granted some of my more embarrassing moments soon enough."

He shakes his head and laughs. "I'm not looking forward to my video either. This is all a bit too personal, isn't it?"

Sakura shrugs her shoulders. "It's politics. The best way to let the people know you're watching, without letting them know too much, is to show them just how far back these cameras can go. Besides, if you would have read the papers we signed before the beginning of these tests, you'd have seen the fine -print about this."

He smirks and, this time, turns his body fully towards her. "You caught me. I just signed my soul away and didn't even read the first _word._ "

Sakura rolls her eyes in response, taking a step back and crossing her arms. "Amu tried the same thing when she started at the hospital. You two are a lot alike."

Another quake rocks the stadium and the civilians erupt with excitement. One body is down, and Shikamaru holds the victors hand up high. "Round one, end. Sato Uri is victorious."

And with a dramatic applause, the first battle is finished.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I am super sleepy right now. I'm going to be replying to all reviews in the upcoming week. Sorry if this chapter is rather boring, but it's needed for what is to come. I hope no one knows were I'm going with all of this, but you're all so very smart. Hehe. Anyways, love you all and I'll type out a better Author's Note as soon as I wake up in the morning. Forgive my mistakes, I only used my computers spellcheck so there will probably be some mistakes. XD Love and kisses!**


	47. Chapter 47: I am not gonna fight Naruto!

Chapter 47: I am _not_ going to fight Naruto!

Naruto grips the railing until his knuckles bleach, looking strange against the darkness of his skin. His ice blue eyes watch the curved television screen unblinkingly as he waits for the familiar characters of his name to pop up. He is anxious and tired of waiting around.

The man is so foxlike, it's unreal. Sasuke can almost _see_ the gears working around Naruto's overactive, agile mind, like he already guessing who he'll be matched up against. In truth, he's probably more excited about the meal he'll eat _after_ he becomes a Jonin, but that didn't mean he wasn't pumped up for his round.

When Shino Aburame's name pops up on the screen, along with the pierced, green-haired girl from the gate, Naruto let's out an annoyed sigh and folds his arms behind short, spiky hair.

"Maybe next round," Kakashi says loudly. "For now, you should support your comrade."

"They're both my comrades, as leaf shinobi." Naruto mumbles. "It doesn't matter who wins, so long as it's a fast battle."

The Hokage laughs at the man's mock maturity and crosses his legs, adjusting the triangular hat that sat upon his head. "I suppose that's true."

It is silent between the three once more as the participants enter the battle dome. They are closed off from the world, through a shear barrier, as the story of their lives play out for all to see.

Naruto watches, feeling completely out of place. There was something peculiar about digging into someone else's past, whether they agreed to it or not. Someone like Shino, who was incredibly reserved and lonely, certainly wouldn't want everyone to see his younger years. Biting his lip, Naruto debates whether he should be nervous about his own televised chronicles.

"Have you seen my video, Kakashi?" Sasuke hears Naruto ask after a moment. He doesn't bother looking over at him, deciding that this wasn't a conversation he really belonged in. Sasuke knew when his input was necessary.

"I've seen all of them."

"…and what does mine look like?"

Sasuke frowns at this, unsure of what could _possibly_ be bothering that blond moron. He wasn't popular as a boy at all in his youth, but he had traits that many people never developed. Naruto was genuine and compassionate. Nothing about his younger days should cause _him_ any worries. After all, it wasn't as if he betrayed his village or anything.

"Hm," Kakashi gruts, putting his finger up towards his covered chin. "Well, it's a bit funny…but more heart-wrenching, perhaps."

"And that girl—that Karin girl—she did all of this?"

Naruto knew she was once in cohorts with Sasuke. It was odd to know that this woman was a relative of his deceased mother, and it wasn't something he really found himself thinking about. He was not foolish enough to believe that their kinship held any bearing on important matters.

"She did."

For the first time that morning, Naruto plops down on his seat, running his hands along the smoothness of his cheeks. Slapping them a few times, as if he were on the verge of sleeping, the man inhales a deep breath and then sinks into his metal chair with defeat. It figures he'd be more worried about his life's story, than the battle he'd be fighting. It was so typical of Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Sakura watches in awe as Midori wields both swords, slicing away the tiny insects Shino sent towards her. It was an intriguing matchup, as the bug-king was better suited for long-range combat, and the green-haired woman was obviously a master at close-range.

The rose chews at her thumbnail as she nervously twists Itachi's ring around the slender finger of her right hand. Perhaps it's a bit silly to be directly cheering for any specific person, but Sakura finds herself wishing Shino would come out triumphant. He was her classmate, after all.

Her face winces as Midori's blade flies through the air and cuts the tender flesh of the man's shoulder.

Hojo, who is sitting a bit too close to her, shares her expression.. "That woman is advanced,"

"You're happy you don't have to face her, then?"

The laugh that tumbles from Hojo is shallow. "No, I'm happy I don't have to face _him._ I can handle a swordswoman."

Sakura had never really wondered about Hojo's prowess, or what he excelled at. He was just a grunt on the battlefield a few years ago, nursing his wounds and writing love letters to pretty nurses. The fact that he's made it this far meant he had to be powerful, at least somewhat. He carried no specific weapons and his strength or speed wasn't obvious, but there was something about him that made Sakura's believe wholeheartedly that he would be a difficult adversary for any average ninja.

She rests her elbow on her thigh and heels her hand to her chin, looking deeply into the muscular, easy-going man before her. He was kind, and determined, but he gave her the impression that he enjoyed chasing his pray, more than eating it.

He was certainly no Sasuke.

She feels her cheeks start to heat up as her mind starts to stray. In a way, she's happy that Sasuke can entice such reactions from her without trying whatsoever. Even in her dreams the man would haunt her, making her wake up with sticky sheets and puffy cheeks. She closes her eyes, wondering what she will see of Sasuke when his video plays on the screen.

Like Shino, Sakura wonders if there is a recording of the day he was actually born. It would be nice to see more of his family and of a pure Sasuke, before he was cursed. The sigh that escapes her lips can only come from a girl in love. It is such an earnest huff, it causes Hojo to turn sharply in search of where it came from. He looks down at Sakura, who has her eyes shut as she falls into the daydreams of her own consciousness.

Her lashes are light and wispy, almost long enough to touch her cheeks. A blush drifts from under the shadow of those eyelashes and she captures her lower lip in an unprovocative way, though the man cannot help the jolt that he feels just under his navel.

Hojo's hands are sweating, and his teeth feel like their completely numb. Before he can stop himself, the man feels pulled into her gravity, inching closer to Sakura's berry-stained mouth, as if her kisses were ripe for the taking. Suddenly it's as though Hojo has swallowed a cotton ball. He cannot even breathe properly, and he finds himself drawn to her proximity.

* * *

"Shikamaru needs to step in," Sasuke says as a spray of Shino's blood fans out across the ground. The stands shake as the crowds whoop and holler, screaming out he name of who they'd bet on.

Normally, matches last only a few minutes. This one was nearing on fifteen, and Sasuke knew that death by 100 cuts was certainly not a way the beetle-boy neither wanted to go.

Naruto cracked his knuckles and stood, unable to stay firmly seated any longer. He was never the type that enjoyed watching fights. He was much more interested in _joining_ them. As he leans out across the railings, gathering up the musty air around him, his all-seeing eyes spot a very perturbing scene across the way.

Sakura's unmoving form sat daintily as Hojo leaned in, approaching her face in a way that was normally reserved for close family members and romantic lovers. It wasn't as though the Kyuubi was an expert, or anything, but from here it _kinda_ looked like they were about to canoodle.

His heart starts beating faster, and he leans out _just to make sure_ that his eyes weren't deceiving him. Darting left and right, Naruto clears his throat and says, "Maybe you should be paying more attention to your wife, Sasuke."

Like a torpedo, Sasuke's eyes lock-on to Sakura from across the stadium. She was easy enough to spot, with her cotton-candy locks and cream skin and bold, red top. (As if Sasuke didn't know _exactly_ where she was, anyways.)

His eyebrows furrow together, and mismatched irises narrow down at the scene unfolding before him.

True to his words, Sasuke was never the jealous type. He had never felt the urge to shoot a glare at the people who eyed Sakura, nor had he wanted to bash someone in for wanted or unwanted advances. In fact, a month ago Sasuke would have been perfectly _okay_ with Hojo's flirtations.

But today, he was going to tell the truth, and hopefully Sakura would take him as her husband.

This…this kiss simply wouldn't do.

As he steps closer to the railing, letting his body take over, a shockwave of power flies within the battle arena. Somehow the blast manages to throw Naruto off of his feet, which wasn't an easy task to do. What looks like hot, searing steam pours from Midori's mouth, and Shino falls to the ground before her, boiled alive and exhausted from both chakra and blood loss.

Shikamaru waves a lazy hand towards the green-haired woman and says, "Round two, end. Midori of Konoha is the winner." and Naruto exhales a sigh of relief.

* * *

Sakura stands up quickly, turning her head towards the arena with such speed that she knocks Hojo away from her painfully. For a second, she wonders when he'd gotten so close, but all of that is forgotten when Shikamaru's voice booms across the speakers.

She is disappointed that Shino hadn't won. He was skilled and agile, but it seemed Midori was a step ahead. Both liked to play mind games, and the female was a bit better. It seemed that theme ran rampant throughout nature, and ninja battles weren't always much different.

Sakura has to stop herself from rushing into heal the man, regardless of how painful his injuries seemed. She needed to conserve as much chakra as possible, especially if she was parried against Naruto, Sasuke, or Rock Lee. All three men were brutally powerful and Sakura had to admit she was a bit...unsure of how to win against those comrades.

She turns to the man in the bright jumpsuit just in time for his youthful exclamation to fill their bunker. "THAT WAS GOOD, SHINO. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!" As if the water-burned man could hear him.

Feeling Sakura's gaze, Lee turns quickly and solutes the kunoichi beside him. "PLEASE CHEER ME ON, WHEN IT IS MY TURN, SAKURA!"

Sakura decides that she cannot stand to force small talk with Yuma Hojo any longer, and strikes up a conversation with the Leaf's Handsome Devil. It had been a long time since the two had any sort of conversation, and Sakura thought highly of the jumpsuit-clad, well-defined ninja in front of her.

"Of course," she retorts. "Cheering for anyone else would be silly on my part. You're going to win, aren't you?"

In a lot of ways, these exams were very nostalgic. The only difference is that, this time, she is not a 12-year-old bystander. In fact, everyone has grown tremendously since then. She leans against the railing and turns her back on the Jumbotron just as the familiar bleeping began, and a rush of random names click across the screen. She would rather be surprised by her enemy.

Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious groan sounded within the holding room of the final participants. Whipping her head around, Sakura watched as Kiba jumped up and balanced across the metal bars, which were placed to ward off accidental falls. He stuck a very vulgar middle finger towards the camera that zoomed into his features, making sure everyone heard his fiery words.

"Fuck no! I am _not_ going to fight _Naruto Uzumaki!"_

Naruto's reply, which carried over the wind like a lead bullet, berated Sakura's ears. "C'mon, you mutt—don't be such a scaredy-cat!"

The stands erupt in laughter as the two men bicker back and forth.

"I ain't no stinkin' cat! I just know how this is gonna end!"

"No you don't! I've gotta wear those damn chakra chains, so what's the big deal? It's not like I'm full power! Get your ass down there and fight me!"

Interjecting, Rock Lee slaps his hand against Kiba's back playfully, exclaiming how his fighting spirit would be better suited for battle than words. But, as his clothed palm hits the dingy, grey fabric of Kiba's jacket, the man is launched forwards and plummets towards the ground below. He flaps his arms all the way down, as if, somehow, he'd turn into a goose and fly far, far away.

Sakura closes her eyes as the man lands, wincing with empathetic pain.

"I AM SORRY FOR THAT, KIBA. YOU WILL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME. BUT PLEASE, DO YOUR BEST!"

It's hard to hear anything over the rioting fans, but the pink-haired kunoichi picks up on Shikamaru's frustrated hiss. It was something she had learned to do during her various missions, so picking up on that lackadaisical pitch was almost second-nature, regardless of how far up and away she was from him. "Stop acting like an idiot and get this over with. If you're going to forfeit, at least wait until the match actually begins!"

It is amazing how childlike Naruto looks in this moment as he, too, falls towards the arena without bothering to take the stairs. His hair is ruffled, but short—no longer displaying his boyish spikes. He'd opted for a thick, black top and his normal orange pants, leaving his jacket up in the Hokage suite alongside Kakashi and Sasuke. You can see the excitement rippling off of him. He knows he is one step closer to completing his dream, and the only person standing in the way at this moment is Kiba.

And Kiba doesn't want any part in that.

He is, perhaps, just as cocky as Sasuke and just as reckless as Naruto. But even dogs know when to tuck-tail and run. He was the farthest thing from an idiot there was, and even Akamaru acknowledged Naruto's immense strength. The large, white dog trembled lowly beside his masters feet.

As both men take their separate sides, the invisible barrier creeps up around them, and Shikamaru's voice fades into the distance as Karin's recordings blast through the sound-system.

Just as Kiba's first day of academy starts to run, Sakura looks up towards Kakashi's perch and catches Sasuke's gaze. He is statue-still, and Sakura has to really _look_ just to make sure his eyes were really fixated on her. She wonders what the man is trying to communicate. It's like playing a guessing game, except the other player refuses to show any expression or gesture at all. In a way, it feels like he's daring her...like he's waiting for her to make the first move.

Backing away slowly, leaving her dwelling as quietly as possible, the girl sneaks out. As Sasuke's body gets smaller, she smiles, seeing that at the last moment he's turned around and exited his own booth.

* * *

"Shouldn't we be watching Naruto?" Sakura asks as she reaches the final step from the staircase. In the dimness of this hallway, all sorts of scents and sights play with her senses. It smells like fresh clay or cement, mixed with fried foods and human perspiration. She can feel her nausea start to creep up, but the second Sasuke responds the sickness goes away.

"Kiba's not going to battle him."

Sasuke can feel himself draw ever closer. There's something about being alone with this girl that sets his soul on fire, and made him do stupid things. She is strong and beautiful, more beautiful than even the best poets could describe, and that was both wonderful and frustrating.

The Uchiha patriarch had always had a way of weaving words, especially when Naruto was involved. It seemed he'd always have to go into depth about the way his mind works, and how he came to certain conclusions. Naruto took words and actions loosely—he'd always been able to read _underneath the underneath._ The man had a knack for uncovering truths long before Sasuke knew they were even there.

Take, for instance, his feelings for the woman that slowly mirrored his approach. She crept up on him like a petal, drifting through a breeze. Sasuke was the wind, sure of his direction, and Sakura was simply caught in his wake. She had always been undeniably drawn to him, for some inexplicable reason.

"So, how much time do we have?" She asks in a voice that is as dainty as her footfalls.

"Not enough," He responds just as delicately.

Sasuke almost wishes to be a child again. He wonders, briefly, how things would have turned out if his brother hadn't slaughtered his kin. He wonders what Sakura would mean to him on Team 7, and if—as they grew—they would find themselves drawn together as tightly as they're wound now.

The walls are not thin, but the outside world was loud enough to pierce through them. They can hear bits and pieces of music wafting through the porous barriers, even as blood fills their ears from over-excited hearts.

Sasuke closes his eyes. How old would he have been, when he took her first kiss the _right_ way? He thinks, as he presses his mouth to hers, that he would have stolen it much sooner than he did in _this_ life.

As Sakura moves against him with passion that somehow is void of sexual tension, Sasuke thinks of how his mother would have adored her and his father would have, for once, lost his train of thought completely. He thinks that Itachi would have gotten along well with the sweet-addicted girl, and his aunt would show her how to cook and his uncle would hit on her relentlessly—as old men sometimes do.

But, he knows these thoughts are simply fun and games. Sasuke understands that his past and his deeds must _never_ be forgotten, or he was doomed to repeat them. He clenches is artificial hand—the one that remains in his pocket—and untangles is original fingers from the fairy-floss hair Sakura has gathered atop her head.

"What if I have to fight you?" Sakura whispers as she pulls away, oblivious to Sasuke's rambling mind. "Star-crossed lovers, forced to parry their blows—isn't that romantically tragic?"

He shrugs. "Not really. It wouldn't last long at all. I'd have you down in a second."

At first, Sakura is taken aback as the seriousness and cockiness of Sasuke's tone. She is not one to start needless arguments, however, and instead turns her nose up and crosses her arms in mock belligerence. "Yeah, down _healing_ you because I pummeled you so much."

Cocky, serious, stoic—these were all things that described Sasuke. Sasuke was a different type of person, raised with odd morals and senses of justice. But he was perfectly imperfect, a flawed human who Sakura adored and treasured more than her own head could comprehend. He was not someone who needed to be _fixed_ , but rather, someone that needed to be understood.

Stepping toe-to-toe with one of the worlds most notorious villains, and famous saviors, was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time. Still, the kunoichi handled herself well, and Sasuke found that this was one of the things he liked most about her. Somehow, this five-foot-nothing, pixie _tomboy_ could rein him in and level his humanity so efficiently, it was almost embarrassing.

"Come with me," He says, uncrossing her arms so he can hold her hand. "We can wait for Naruto together."

Perhaps it was silly of her to get all flustered, considering there was no one around to see their displays of intimacy, but the fact that they were in a public place and _holding hands_ still made Sakura feel a bit light-headed.

Really light-headed, in fact…almost as though she could pass out at any moment.

She grips his hand firmly and stands up taller, willing away the fuzziness that threated her peripherals. She had been feeling so _odd_ lately. On top of her bloated, weak stomach, the woman felt agitated at the drop of a pin, and noticed that wrapping her chest-bindings had been a slightly painful task morning.

She chocked up the tenderness, and slight cramping, to the ridiculous amounts of lovemaking both she and Sasuke had been through the past few weeks. Ino hadn't mentioned such ill effects, but Sakura had decided not to bother asking for any more advice in regards to personal subjects such as these. For now, Sakura would deal with the pain, and pray it wouldn't affect her battle so much.

As they made their way up the steps, with Sasuke trailing close behind her, the two entered Kakashi's lounge and immediately let professionalism sweep over them. However, keeping up that facade was incredibly hard in the presence of Hatake Kakashi.

Regarding his favorite female student, the elderly man nodded briefly. "Back so soon? I seem to remember lasting a bit longer, in my youth."

Sakura immediately started to stutter, covering her mouth to keep from spewing any type of nonsense she'd come to regret later. Somehow, her old teacher could make her ooze down into a puddle of embarrassment in .002 seconds flat, and she always hated that about the guy.

To her horror, Sasuke didn't even bother to deny the allegation. Instead, he grunted briefly and folded his forearms together, staring down at the see-through dome that housed his best friend, as if he were suddenly preoccupied with the scenes before him.

Resigning herself to Naruto's chair, the woman crossed her legs and looked straight ahead, clearing her throat before speaking. "I hear that… _lone sessions_ seem to drag on, sensei."

Feeling proud of her witty comeback, she sat up taller and relished the guffaw from the silver-haired Hokage to her left. Even better, she'd somehow brought out a choking, strangled gasp from Sasuke Uchiha himself.

"You are incredible tacky." Kakashi retorts as he wipes his eyes.

"I've learned from the best."

And as the two share a humours moment together Naruto's young voice roars throughout the stands.

It is such a strange feeling, having someone scream the name of your best friend as if he were a god himself. Everyone in the stands erupted with joy and chanted his name as if it was the only word they knew. Oh, how far they'd all come.

 **"** **And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage! That way, people will stop disrespecting me, and start treating me like I'm somebody!"**

Music blares from the speakers in that moment. It's a soft piano beat, with a heavily acoustic male voice carrying his tune throughout the opening. In a flash, a child's running body zooms through various cameras. He is covered in red paint, running as fast as he can, leaving a trail of mess for the sorry suckers who dared to insult him.

It's like he's running forever—through streets and meadows—a messy haired boy with poorly bandaged wounds and a dirty face takes his place. Those glowing blue eyes and bright, yellow spikes could only belong to Naruto Uzumaki.

Slowly, as the song picks up tempo, we see him slightly aged. He wears his goggles and his jacket is tied around his waist as he trains in the middle of the woods. A pitiful clone forms beside him, huffing out a mixture of smoke and steam as the original yells with frusteration.

Strangely, no one laughs within the stadium, though the scene was somewhat funny. Perhaps they know where this is going. Perhaps they know because, at one point in time, they would have easily cackled at his sorry excuse of a jutsu. The children around him, in the video, seem to jump at the chance to bully him—all ridiculing and pointing fingers. It is almost heartbreaking to see.

" **There's no way you'll be Hokage!"** A faceless girl says.

" **You can't even do a decent transformation jutsu."**

With a stunning bass drop, a young Naruto fills an entire forest full of copies of himself, all ready to kill the man that _dared_ disrespect Iruka-sensei, and tricked him into stealing that secret scroll. From then on, each battle he'd won, each hit he threw, each jutsu that poured from his hands rebounded from the Jumbotron in swift succession.

For a few seconds, Sakura sees herself on the screen, back when her hair was long and the only thing she was worried about was Sasuke's affections. She crouches down, smiling as Naruto and Sasuke shoot heated glares towards each other and Kakashi leans in for the photo—the famous snapshot of Team 7.

Naruto says, " **Because they saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends."** And Sakura cannot stop the liquid that streams from her eyes.

The blond man is an older teen now, muscular and strong, but still charmingly rambunctious. He fights off Akatsuki members, defends Konoha against Pein, all broadcasted for Konoha civilians to see. It's almost as though people had forgotten everything he'd been through. Throughout the stands, no one says a word. Instead, they all watch as his life plays out before them.

There is a brutal scene, blurry and grainy, of Naruto and Sasuke—children at first who slowly dissolve into adults, fighting a deadly battle that stripped them of their dominant arms.

The screen fades to black, and everyone is stunned, too fixated on the television to even react.

Sakura scoots to the edge of her seat, waiting for more. Finally, after a few more seconds, Naruto's words dance around.

 **"** **When I'm with Iruka-sensei, I think that's what having a father is like. When I'm with you, Sasuke, I think that's what having a brother is like.** ** _"_**

A bright flash of light rocks around everyone, showing the bare-knuckled fist bump both Sasuke and Naruto shared just before Sasuke left the village on his journey of redemption. From there, Hinata comes in, and as the song finally ends the final scene is a personal tape of the Uzumaki wedding, in which Naruto leans down and presses his lips upon his wife's.

 **"** **Hinata...Do you remember that lesson in class? The one with, "If the end of the world came, who would you spend your last day with?" I wrote no name because I didn't know my parents, and I had no friends. But now I can clearly say it. I want to be with you. From now on, I want to spend all and every single one of my days until I die with you, and only you, Hinata!"**

And the match begins with everyone, understandably, cheering for Konoha's most hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja.

Just as Shikamaru raises his hand, signaling the start, Kiba throws both paws into the air and Akamaru follows suit. In this moment, a heated, powerful battle should have played out. Kiba, however, has other plans in mind.

"I quit!" He yells loudly, and Sakura can hear Kakashi groan comically beside her. "Well, Naruto's live story was kind of a waste, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Sakura hisses. "You're telling me!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Bless you all for following thus far. I know it's very filler-ish, but these things are needed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I must say, this was one of the most difficult ones I've had to write in a while! I hope it's not too boring and I can't wait to post the next one! Hehe. I love you all and I will respond to your reviews as soon as I am able to! I read them all, and thank you so much for your continued support. You really have no idea how much it means to me. T.T**


	48. Chapter 48:The betrayal of Sasuke Uchiha

**Warning: Dark themes and scenes ahead, please read with discretion. SASUKE WILL BE REDEEMED. DON'T LOSE FAITH!**

* * *

Chapter 48: The betrayal of Sasuke Uchiha

The sun was higher in the sky now. Though the day was a bit colder than its predecessors, both ninja and civilians alike found no qualms in venturing outdoors to the crowded, stone bleachers of the coliseum.

They were a people of tenacity and endurance, built to withstand and persevere no matter the disaster. But, as brightly as this will of fire burns, the sin of judgement blazes brighter.

Many were raised without empathy. Survival in this world—this world of fighting and death—is absolutely imperative. After all, you cannot possibly protect your village if you're **dead**.

While this may be what keeps Konoha thriving, it is also a sad way of living. It's like existing, without _feeling_. People rarely have time to concern the orphaned and wounded, when their own continued existence is balancing on the edge of ending. They all have families and loved ones that rely on them, after all.

Sakura's mother, Mebuki, understands this way of thinking all too well. She recognizes the cold stares, the blank faces, and the icy hearts in her own reflection. The older woman clutches the damp napkin that is gathered in her hand, crumpled and misshapen from excessive use.

Seeing Naruto's video, she feels terribly ashamed. She's ashamed of her upturned nose, her haughty attitude, and her holier-than-thou arrogance. How, as a mother, would she have felt had Sakura been left alone since birth, given a home but no family, and given money but no guidance?

She feels a knot start to curl inside of her stomach.

Her husband, Kizashi, is not a crier—but he is a gentle soul. The man reaches towards his betrothed and gathers that wet-napkin-clad hand in his own larger one. They look on as the screen displays a roguish, blond boy as he points accusingly towards one of his first enimies.

" **I won't back down, I won't give up, and I never go back on my word. That is my ninja way!"**

The people around them buzz, letting out satisfied roars as the movie fades into blackness. Patting the tanned hand that clutches hers, Mebuki clears her throat and sweeps her large bangs from across her forehead. "I think I'll invite Sakura's teammates to dinner, sometime."

"Surly not?" Kizashi jokes. "The last Uchiha, the Hokage, and the savoir of all of mankind, gathered at our small dinner table…that sounds a bit intimidating."

She leans into his shoulder, watching as that Kiba boy throws his arms up in surrender and hands over his match.

"I wonder how much food you would have to make, darling?"

"As much curry as that _Sasuke_ went through a few weeks ago, I'd say enough to fill an elephant." Kizashi retorts.

They share a simple smile, gazing into one another's eyes as the familiar pinging sound that wheels through random names starts to roll. They are much too preoccupied with romanticisms to pay any mind to the collective, disgruntled rejections of the peers beside them. After all, neither Mebuki nor Kizashi blamed the poor dog-man. Naruto was a fierce adversary.

Feeling overwhelmed with love, the couple begins to lean in, but they're paused when the ground starts to hum and shake. Like a wave, spectators rise to their feet and bellow out with gleeful excitement.

The Haruno's share twin looks of confusion and stand up themselves, unable to see anything through the mass of spectators. Deafening shrieks fill the stadium, and after jumping to peek over the tops of rapidly moving heads, everything starts to make sense.

SASUKE UCHIHA

V.

ROCK LEE

* * *

Naruto's cheerful yell and powerful slap makes Sasuke grit his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, the man was incredibly strong, and even his "playful" hits were painful.

"Oh hell yeah—this is going to be awesome! Don't you remember the first time we really met Bushy Brows? And I thought Bushy Brow Sr. was a turtle? And you got your ass handed to you when Lee—"

"Shut up," Sasuke interjected, taking a step past him. He's already heading towards the exit, knowing full well that anymore roughhousing from his teammate would certainly send him falling down to the arena.

"Where are you going? Are you off to put on that onesie like in the Chunin Exams?"

Sasuke turns sharply, ready to strangle the blond idiot, but Sakura steps in front of him and plants a wet kiss on his cheek.

It's such a surprising gesture to Sasuke that he really doesn't know how to react to it. His body becomes hyper aware in those three seconds, feeling the stares of his former teacher and the man he called his brother. Taking a swallow of fresh saliva to parch his dry throat, and fisting his clammy hands, he's forced to direct his vision to the pinkette in front of him.

Sakura cradles his face, ignoring the wild look of shock and confusion that bloomed across his features. "Good luck out there." She whispers.

He can feel the heat of her breath from her closeness, and the coolness of Itachi's ring on her right hand. "Thank you,"

"Now, kiss," Kakashi commands gruffly, effectively ruining the moment.

Don't get him wrong, he's just as starry-eyed as any kunai-throwing ninja. But, seeing such pureness between these two is certainly a reality check. It seemed, only days ago, Sakura was the one chasing after this pointy-haired, broken-hearted fool. In fact, he remembers quite well the calloused denials of her affections—both verbally and physically.

The seed is planted, the bud doth bloom, and only then can it spread that seed once more. Sasuke and Sakura—and even Naruto, are beginning a journey more difficult and tedious than any S-Rank mission.

Kakashi feels rather old and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

"You ruin everything," Naruto declares with a groan. "You really do. I'm so happy you were drunk by the time I got married."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura crosses her arm and heels her palm to her chin. "Naruto, if I remember correctly, _you_ were drunk by the time you got married, too!"

The red gleam of Itachi's ring catches in the daylight as she and Kakashi share a laugh. Suddenly, Sasuke could care less about Rock Lee—who's already shouting and kicking up dirt in the dome—or the people chanting his name. It seems as though he's transfixed on the placement of that small, insignificant piece of jewelry.

Before he can stop himself, Sasuke delicately grasps Sakura's hand. His eyebrows furrow. "It's not on your left?"

He watches as her face heats up. He enjoyed this side of her. He enjoyed teasing her, making her blush, forcing out squeals of embarrassment in mundane situations. It reminds him of the girl he left behind, so long ago. It's a glimpse of the good part of his past with every red, feathery inch.

"Oh, that…" She snatches her hand back away from him. "I-I know it's silly, but in western culture…a ring on the left hand is a sign of marriage. You're traditional, so it's not like where you _put it_ means anything, but… I didn't want someone to _ask me_ about it. Because then, I'd have to explain that it's not like _that."_

"If you only knew," Naruto blurts out, gaining the attention of the room. Sakura whips her head around, but before she can say anything, Kakashi gathers the man in a headlock and scruffs the top of his head, digging his knuckle deeply into his skull.

"I am so proud of you, m'boy; winning that last round and all! I bet you want some ramen, eh? Let's let Sasuke fight, and then I'll get you a nice bowl of the good stuff. How does that sound?"

"Oh boy, you really mean that? Pork ramen sounds good, and maybe some gyoza too!"

Sasuke drops Sakura's hand, finding that he's wasted too much time already. He backs away, keeping his mismatched eyes on Sakura's emeralds, until the top of that spiraling staircase separates their vision.

The next time he'd see her; he'd be a different person—and while the Uchiha assumes his change would only be in rank, Sasuke had _no idea_ of what was to come.

The cloud that drifts by, right across that heated sun, sends a sheet of shadow in its wake. Shikamaru closes his eyes, ignoring Rock Lee's psyche-up, wishing for a thunderstorm to grace the dry earth below his feet. Even a good rain wouldn't stop these matches, but at least he could direct them _away_ from the battleground.

Strangely, he wasn't too _keen_ on being in such proximity to two _psychotic_ shinobi. Lee was, after all, overzealous—and he's pretty sure Sasuke couldn't handle losing all that well. (Not that he'd really ever _seen_ the guy lose.)This match would certainly put a strain on the computer system. Shikamaru wonders if he'd trained Karin well enough for this type of combat.

"YOU HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED." Lee announces as he stretches out his body. "I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO TAKE YOU ON AS MY RIVAL SINCE WE WERE JUST YOUNG BOYS, UCHIHA SASUKE."

"Whatever," Sasuke retorts dryly in his usual, unimpressed monotone. He makes his way to Shikamaru and offers both wrists, ready for the chakra bangles to be attached.

The man hides his smirk from Lee, but Shikamaru can see the excitement in the Uchiha's eyes. He, too, has been waiting. Though it could never be compared to the battled he'd had with Naruto, surly Lee would be a fierce opponent. Something within that gaze seemed dark.

"Hey, Sasuke," Shikamaru begins. "Something tells me I'll be in the way if I stay here."

He's not really sure why he said it. He certainly didn't need permission to hightail it out of there. Still, there was something within his body that made him feel like fleeing—like a deer that is startled by the crushed-leaf step of predator.

With his hands still on those shackles, a headache-inducing wave crashes towards him. He can feel the flex of Sasuke's chakra, testing out the strength of his restraints. They both shake from the pressure, and though they hold up well, the aftershock of his power is obviously palpable regardless.

Shikamaru would die for his country, and for his men. If he felt, even for an instant, that Sasuke wouldn't be able to stop himself from seriously hurting Rock Lee, he'd never have said this. Still, something within his gut tells him the entire field would be needed for action, and it would be best if he left while he could.

"I think I'll leave this to the both of you; just start whenever you're ready."

Shikamaru takes a step back, ready to explain the situation to Lee, but another unseen force stops him; comradery. He feels driven to speak just once more.

"Just so you know, I know what's on your video. I made sure to hide anything…incriminating. The only thing we had of you was from age twelve and below….less, really, because the Uchiha didn't allow cameras on or near their compound."

"Of course," Sasuke says quickly, as if he's been found out. In all actuality, Sasuke's _relieved._ He knew there wasn't anything of interest to view, unless they showed the darkest parts of his history. Certainly Kakashi wouldn't allow that.

Not that Sasuke was ashamed of who he was.

Shikamaru explains loudly to Lee what his plan was, knowing full-well his microphone is now turned on for everyone to hear. With a curt solute, he disappears in a puff of smoke. Seconds later, a digitized, stone-like sphere morphs around both Sasuke and his opponent; it signals the beginning of their one-on-one battle.

Lee looks beyond him, taking in the new environment. The sounds of hoopla-ing spectators cease to exist, and now only echoed breathing fills the void. Sasuke realizes that this stone is a two-way-mirror, of sorts. Everyone can see and hear _them_ , but they cannot hear or see the outside world.

"WE CAN START WHENEVER YOU ARE READY." Rock Lee announces as he slowly unravels the wrappings around his hands. He dips down, folding one arm behind his back and turning the back of his hand outwards to face Sasuke.

It appears he has no need to waste any time.

Forcing a burst of lush, exhilarating chakra to his ocular nerves, Sasuke lights his Sharingan and copies his foe's stance perfectly.

This battle had been a long time coming.

* * *

"Man, Lee sure was ugly." Sakura hears Naruto say. He leans against the railing to Sakura's right, standing directly in front of Shikamaru who had slunk his way up here before their match had even begun.

Sakura watches in amazement as Sasuke dodges one a green-orange, lighting fast, kicks and pivots his body to slam an uppercut into the ninja's chest.

Rock Lee curls out of the way at the last second, skidding against the dirt floor as Sasuke weaves his hand signs.

While Sakura is watching the actual battle, many people are fixated on Lee's life story. She admits that, as interesting as it was, watching Sasuke fight would always hold her captivated.

He was so dragon-like to her. On one side of the television, Lee's movie danced to life, but on the other, camera's zoomed in and slowed down the normally incomprehensible movements.

Sakura watches in awe as Sasuke's face fills the screen and his rapidly moving eyes are cut to half-speed. Left, right, up, down—there's nothing he does not see. From this vantage-point, you can even watch as his pupils and tomoe dilate as Lee moves closer and farther away.

" **I WILL BE AS GREAT AS YOU ONE DAY, GAI-SENSEI!"** A young Rock Lee exclaims to Gai.

" ** _YOU CAN TRY, BUT YOU WILL NEVER COME CLOSE TO THE AWESOMENESS OF MIGHT GAI!"_**

 ** _"_** **YES, GAI-SENSEI!"**

The crowds laugh and Sakura hides her smile in her hand, closing her eyes tightly. He was really a funny person—but it wasn't as though he meant to be. In fact, Lee was a lot of different things besides "funny". He was brilliant in his own right, powerful as all-get-out, and something about his earnest love and pride for his ninja village sent Sakura into a wild, grinning fit.

Without warning, the audience seems to take in a collective inhale of air and an electric-like "zap" wafts from the rafters. When Sakura throws her eyes open, she's shocked to find out that she cannot see _anything_ but the half-circled dome where Lee and Sasuke fight. Frantically, the woman waves her hands around, knocking Kakashi's hat off in the process.

Where did the lights go?

"Huh? What the hell is going on?" Naruto blurts out, voicing her confusion.

"Is it a power outage?" Kakashi surmises as he fumbles around. He presses the button on his attached microphone, only to realize it is completely shut off. There's no way he can address the audience members, and within seconds the roar of confused, worried onlookers starts to pour out.

Shikamaru's voice is penetrating, even over the confused ramblings of the people below them. "No power outage would leave just the battle dome's lights on."

And as ominous as his words were, the bright flash that lights up the Jumbotron was even more worrying.

Orochimaru had a distinctive voice, like nails on a chalkboard or any other peeving noise. Although everything was white, the hiss of the serpent-man's tone made it evidently clear who was speaking.

As a girl, Sakura had woken up to tear-stained pillows and perspiration-dampened sheets over the echo of that timbre. It was fear inducing; mind-numbing. Both she and Naruto remain frozen, wondering how on _earth_ Orochimaru had snuck into Konoha, and what kind of snake he had hidden up his sleeves this time.

" _You didn't kill him?"_ He asked, filling the ears of all in the arena.

But it didn't come from anywhere anyone could see. In fact, it sounded rather grainy and muted. To everyone's surprise, it was Sasuke who answered back.

…A very young, very pre-pubescent Sasuke.

 **"** **I don't need to gain power in the same way Itachi did. I don't need that kind of strength."**

Orochimaru laughs his sickening cackle. It's the kind of guffaw that makes gooseflesh rise on your skin, and the hairs on the nape of your neck grow stiff in terror. Sakura can't remember the last time she's felt so afraid.

" _You couldn't. You're too weak to kill someone important to you. Deep within, there is a goodness that is holding you back. But under my guidance, I can purge you of such hesitations._ _We_ _can."_

"What is going on?" Naruto yells as a cold-looking, boulder-like room fizzes into view on the flat screen. They all watch, paralyzed, unsure of how to react to the events playing out.

For a brief moment, Sakura wanted to believe this was just a strange opening to Sasuke's music video. Perhaps it would work in reverse order, from bad to good. But how…but how could anyone obtain such videos? Wouldn't that stuff be held deep within Konoha's archives, if it had been kept at all?

"I don't know," Shikamaru responds dazedly. "I don't know _what_ is going on, but we need to stop it."

He tugs on Kakashi's hand, telling him he's going to try to make it to the lowest cell—to the mechanical room. Once in there, he should be able to get everything back on track, and find out why Sasuke's destroyed tapes had been brought out of the woodworks.

Kakashi knew he had to stay put, so that when everything was fixed he could direct the citizens. But he wishes that he'd have taken either Naruto or Sakura along. The two stand motionless in front of him; only the dim shades of their clothing are visible from the glow brought on by the Jumbotron. They're engrossed.

The sound of broken glass—or, perhaps, rushing water, emits from the speakers. It's an ear-splitting blast, one that makes Sakura cover her head and look around, wondering if they were all being attacked.

It takes her a few seconds to realize, horror stricken, that the noise is accompanied by futile splashing as the completely nude body of a fully submerged teen transitioned on the overhead monitor.

Sasuke—young, fleshy, _blue_ , screamed out into the glass container where he was being forced in to. Bubbles flew from his lips and nostrils, carrying his cries. Thick locks of floating black hair thrashed around his scalp, and he squeezed dark-lashed eyelids closed in pain.

It was absolutely surreal. It took her head a few minutes to register what was going in. Panic flowed through her—she had to save him, _she had to save him!_ —but Sasuke was already safe. In fact, he was just now blocking another open kick from Lee that sent him barreling towards the side of the dome. The platform vibrated from the pressure as they both fought, ignorant of the torture that played out on the Jumbotron.

An adolescent groan pulled her from the battleground and back towards the display monitor. She watched, helplessly, as he kicked, unable to touch anything but chunks of ice and writhe against the restraints that seemed to be tightening their grip.

"What the fuck?" Naruto yelled out. He kept repeating his curse, over and over, summoning his Nine-Tailed Chakra mode. His bright burst of energy ripples around everyone as he disperses his glow. She can hear him yell to the crowds with his clones, telling everyone not to look and to keep calm, as a few more make their way to the giant screen.

Before his body can even touch it, a barrier is resurrected. It makes it inherently obvious that this is not just a random anomaly.

"Go find Shikamaru," Kakashi commands to one of the clones. "Keep everyone calm.

Through all this, Sakura still cannot find it in her to move. She watches, just like everyone else, as the younger Sasuke _finally_ gives up and ceases his lashing.

 **"** **It took twenty minutes for him to pass out today, Lord Orochimaru."** Kabuto's voice says. It doesn't sound like that anymore. Sakura tells herself that these are people of a different time—Kabuto works with orphans now, and Orochimaru is under constant surveillance in his hidden lair. They aren't bad people anymore.

But they _were._

" **Resuscitate him—let's try again."**

Sakura remembers speaking with Karin about what happened to Sasuke in that hideout. " _Environmental endurance,"_ She had said. " _Resilience to shock, poison immunity—his pain and passion receptors were flipped. Good felt bad and bad felt good. Bloodletting, induced hypothermia and hyperthermia, psychological torture, and drugs—like a lot of drugs."_

One by one, each of these things come to light for all to see. Nothing Naruto does—even with the help of Kurama, can get through that magnetic field. Sakura feels helpless, twiddling her thumbs as a young Sasuke is hooked up to machines, poked and prodded, injected with serums and forced to watch deplorable things.

He is monitored on even the most microscopic level. Electricity erupts through his system if he reacts _normally_ to slain bodies and heroic acts of valor. They wanted him to _hate_ justice and righteousness. They wanted him to laugh in the face of kindness.

And, for a long time, Orochimaru and Kabuto had _won._

Sakura cannot hold herself upright, anymore, and she falls to her knees before Kakashi can even move towards her. She feels fuzzy, surrounded by Sasuke's screams—almost as though she's been trapped in a nightmare.

For a long time, Sakura had always thought that the worse pain Sasuke had felt was when Orochimaru placed the Cursed Seal of Heaven. He had fallen against her boyish body, held those small hands, cried and vomited into her lap as convulsions rippled through him. His fever, looking back on it, was so severe it could have killed him.

These wails, however, could not compare.

Her eyes blur with her own tears as she tries to narrow her focus on the perfectly _alright_ Sasuke that is blowing a powerful fire ball at Rock Lee in this very moment. She doesn't even realize that she's digging her nails in too deeply to the flesh if her abdomen, until a fiery burn blooms across in horizontal trails.

The rough pads of Kakashi's thumbs brush away tears fruitlessly. "You have to keep calm. Go to the stadium and look for anything that's amiss—see if there's any way you can remove the barriers. I'm going to keep directing Naruto's clones—hopefully Shikamaru will find out what's going on."

She removes herself from Kakashi's side in an instant and starts to stand on the railing. Finding her shuriken holster, she scans the darkness beneath her, wondering just how far out she'd have to leap to completely avoid the stadium-goers.

Before she can even send chakra to her feet, Orochimaru's sound reverberates all around them.

" **Tell me, boy, are you weak?"**

Sasuke looks older—older and scarred. Bandages curl around his wrists and his bare midsection, hiding the freshly drawn seals around each. Sakura has never seen him at this age.

His eyes are hard and cold already, though only two years could have passed. She feels her heart start to shatter—two years was all it took, was it?

" **Don't talk to me."**

Two years, and he was still just as sassy as ever. The young man practices with his katana on a human-shaped hay form. His Chidori cannot reach down the length of the blade yet, and he's much more preoccupied with his training than his _teachers_ prattling.

That, however, does not stop the man. **"You can kill them, then?"**

 **"** **I can kill anyone."**

Orochimaru's form walks into view, standing directly in front of the panting teen. He doesn't seem worried in the least. " **Oh, I believe you."** He chuckles. " **You killed your lover, after all."**

 **"** **She wasn't my lover."** He retorted.

Unfazed by his response, the Sanin circles him like he's prey. His feel barely make a noise against that stained cobblestone. **"Your body is in perfect condition. I won't even have to train it, when I take it over. Your mind is altered, so crawling inside of it and casting you out will be child's play. But even with all of my help, I'm not…sure, you can kill Itachi."**

This seems to catch Sasuke's attention. He was so predictable, then. Anything that threatened his power—his strength, was surly to bring a rise out of the boy.

 **"** **And why is that?"**

 **"** **It's simply because you couldn't kill Naruto."**

The mere mention of his name seems to set Sasuke's blood on fire. His body clenches, coiling into a tense, well-reserved rage. She can see the furrow of Sasuke's eyebrows, so familiar and sad—and the way his fists clench almost make her flinch.

Everyone in the stadium watches quietly as Naruto—a younger Naruto—walks from beyond a gaited metal cell. He is dressed in his old jumpsuit, kicking and screaming obscenities, fighting against the henchman that drug him out of the chamber.

Sasuke's _Sharingan_ can see right through genjutsu and shadow clones. Whatever this person is, it was formed from an extremely illegal jutsu—one that could even trick someone as skilled as himself.

Kakashi can feel his body tremble with anger as he wonders just how many human sacrifices were made just for the sake of that elaborate _mannequin._

 _"_ **If you can kill him now, I'd say you could even kill Itachi. We've extracted the Nine Tailed Fox. He's of no use to us, after all** _ **."**_

It is like Sasuke is a shell of his former self. In those eyes—eyes that used to be so familiar to her—Sakura sees genuine malice. Without even hesitating, Sasuke draws his sword and plunges it straight through that life-like Naruto's heart. He doesn't even bother sending his blue lightening along the blade.

Orochimaru laughs. He laughs and laughs, almost on loop, as Sasuke flings dark blood off of his blade. Sakura can feel her heart beat faster, ready to hear Sasuke share that cackle.

" **What about her?"** Orochimaru asks.

Freezing in her spot, Sakura watches in dumbfounded awe as a mockery of her former self is dragged into the light. The clone—or whatever it is—is tattered and bruised; her bright pink hair is greasy and clumped from blood and sweat. She screams, sounding so much like Sakura's tone it's eerie, and the girl falls to the ground before him.

" **You killed him!"** The thing exclaims. **"You killed him, Sasuke, how could you? I hate you! What have you done? What have you done?"**

 **"** **Quite, you!"** Orochimaru commands, and the fake, Genin Sakura clamps her mouth shut and fills the room with gasping sobs. Her acting is almost believable. If Sakura was anyone else, she would have believed it to be real.

" **I know how much this one means to you."** Orochimaru begins. **"You can kill someone you've had a physical relationship with. Take the geisha, for example. Young, beautiful,** ** _experienced._** **You can even kill someone you've had a mental relationship with, like your poor friend Naruto over there. But, Sasuke, can you kill her? Can you kill the** ** _innocent_** **?"**

Sasuke crouches down low, looming near the mock-Sakura. For a minute, when his hand reaches out, Sakura can feel the gentle graze of his fingertips as they dance across her lips before he steals a kiss.

But this Sasuke isn't the same that battles Rock Lee.

He forces the girl to look up at him, and for a moment Sakura wishes that he can tell those eyes apart—the real ones aren't so pale, that's not the real _her._ The footage is granular, cutting in and out, but with such a large monitor it's easy to see many things. Sakura can see hatred in those black irises.

It makes something crawl from inside of her heart. Something that was hidden away for so long—that grain of disgusts for herself that she was sure had been buried eons ago.

In _that_ Sasuke's look, she sees her worst fears. She sees a man that does not care for her true potential, or her mind, or even the body that encapsulates it all. Instead, she sees someone that thinks so lowly of her, he cannot even muster _pity_ on the little thing in front of him.

Kakashi manages to wrap his arms around Sakura's legs, urging her towards the dome to finish her task. As she falls towards the ground with guided expertise, she hears the snap of a broken neck, because Sasuke wouldn't waste chakra on a timid little rabbit.

* * *

Hinata cannot stop her cries, or the way her body shakes as the memory of what she had just seen flows through her head. She can feel Ino as she keeps her upright by wrapping strong arms around her shoulders. Others buzz around them, many too stunned to say anything, but many more expressing their hatred and disgust.

What they have all just witnessed will stay with them forever. It is burned into their minds; the betrayal of Sasuke Uchiha.

No one had ever seen him in this way. No one knew just how uncaring and dark he had grown under the wings of the Snake Sanin. It didn't seem fair, or just, to blame this _monstrosity_ on an age-old curse his clan was burdened with. Right was still right, and wrong was still wrong, regardless of mental capacity—at least, in Ino's mind.

Ino's rage builds up just as quickly as those around her. Soon, everyone is on the same page, blaspheming Sasuke and all that related to him.

"He's a deviant! He could do that to his own teammate?" Someone yells.

"The only reason he was saved was because of Naruto! If we all ban together, there's no way he'll be allowed back into the village! Kill him! Exile him!"

Hinata feels masculine hands touch her shoulder, and she jumps up just in time to be gathered against one of Naruto's clones. She cannot hear his heart, or feel the warmth of his skin, but the worry that is etched on his face mimics her _real_ husbands identically.

"What's happening?" She yells against him. "Oh Naruto, please stop this madness."

"I am looking for Shikamaru right now." The clone explains. His bright glow draws the others near him, all curious of what he has to say. "He's in the bottom level of the coliseum. He thinks there might be something wrong with Karin. This wasn't what was supposed to be shown."

Ino has the collar of Naruto's shirt in a second. Her puffy, tear-stained eyes narrow in on his like daggers. "You let him come back here? You let Sasuke come back knowing _full well_ what he has done? How could you?"

"This isn't Sasuke." Naruto defends. He no longer sounds like an unknowing brat. His voice rings out like a beacon, both masculine and dominant, as he holds his ground. "Sasuke isn't like this. This is propaganda. You're too smart to fall for this, Ino."

"Propaganda?" Ino hisses. "This isn't a paper with slander on it. You saw the same thing I saw. He's in there, fighting Lee now. Don't you get it? There's no one stopping him from killing Rock Lee! He's demonic, Naruto. He's tainted! Stop defending him!"

The audience seems to hear every word Ino says, as it is passed down the entire circle. Eventually it turns into a chant—a chant thousands of people scream at the top of their lungs as they turn towards the display above them.

Everyone watches as Sasuke downs a hundred men on one of Orochimaru's battlefield, as if to prove their case.

Before Ino can assault the Naruto clone again, it exclaims: "I found Shikamaru! He's fighting with Suigetsu! Something is going on!"

Hinata shakes her head, looking into those artificial eyes with worry. "What is it? What's happening?"

But the clone seems to be concentrating. They all speak information as it comes, giving even Kakashi a play-by-play of the action.

"Shikamaru's caught him. Me—the real me— knocked him out. We have to break into the control room. It's Karin…Karin is showing us all of this. She's barricaded the door. I broke through, Shikamaru—"

And before he can finish his sentence, the lights turn back on in a powerful flicker. There is a battle going on in the control room—it's obvious. Mechanics all around start to go haywire—in a second, Kakashi's microphone works, and in another, there is no sound or view playing on the Jumbotron.

To everyone's shock, the dome surrounding Lee and Sasuke is abruptly brought down and the two men pause in absolute confusion as the loudness pelts their eardrums almost immediately.

You can, in this moment, read every emotion registering upon Sasuke's face. At first, he thinks there must be some sort of ambush going on. He releases his chokehold on Lee and scans the upper deck, looking for Kakashi and Naruto and Sakura.

Kakashi is there, and Naruto's clones are all around—but there is no Sakura. There is no Sakura, and Sasuke starts to panic.

Sasuke rushes out towards everyone, leaving Rock Lee behind, but he is stopped by a few of Naruto's clones. They all speak at once, confusing him further.

"Don't go out there!"

"Shikamaru is fighting Suigetsu!"

"Calm down, Sasuke, calm down."

They all blur their words together, and Sasuke's too frustrated and too…too…too worried to try and figure out what they are all trying to say. With an annoyed hiss, disperses all three in the blink of an eye, which absolutely terrifies the Konoha audience.

"He's trying to attack Naruto again!" They exclaim. "He's in cahoots with Orochimaru!"

The yelling, the screaming, the hyperactivity that bustles around him is overloading every single one of Sasuke's senses. Anger starts to flare throughout him—he wants everyone to **_shut the fuck up_** so he can figure out what's going on! His chakra restrains teeter from his power, as Sasuke is calling forth Susanoo without really meaning to. His body craves the creature, and he naturally draws him forth.

But Sakura stops him, wrapping her arms around his torso.

He turns quickly, incredibly happy to discover that she's _more_ than alright in the mess of these examinations. Sasuke pulls her up into his arms, against his chest, forcing her legs around his hips as he looks fully into her face. He's ready for Cy-Lan to run around a corner, or some other adversary that's hellbent on killing.

"What's going on? What's wrong?"

Insted, he sees the scared worry etched upon Sakura's face, and in that instant, Sasuke realizes that _he_ is the enemy.

And as he realizes this, the familiar tap of his adolescent shoes on the cobblestone pavement of Konoha, from the night he left so long ago, resonate around them. Sasuke listens as his younger voice rings throughout the speakers, and realizes that Shikamaru had lied to him all along.

 **"** **Why are you prowling around here in the middle of the night?"**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Phew! I am so happy everyone has made it this far! I have a lot of people who message me, asking/telling me how they'd like the story to end. I have not been able to respond as of late, but I AM reading your messages! I already have a plan (as you can see), and it's going along smooooothly.**

 **To address some previous things: The last lemon that I gave, I had a few comments about Sasuke not being able to "finish", and a few complaints on how I portrayed Sakura's first time.**

 **Firstly, sex has very little to do with orgasms. Sex is about a closeness and a bond, so just because one did not "finish", it does not mean it was bad for them. And by the way, he did get to "finish" anyways! Just with a little bit more of Sakura's help. (; Please re-read!**

 **Also, it doesn't matter how many times certain people have sex, being sensitive down there is a genetic disposition. Everyone is different. Some people cant handle multiple orgasms. Some people can orgasm just by stimulation. Please broaden your knowledge on this before you complain. Everyone is totally different! ):**

 **Sakura is a doctor, very knowlegable in what the basic definitions of sex are-I know this. Someone mentioned that Sakura, during the scene when she lost her virginity, shouldn't be worried or asking all of these questions. It kind of amazed me-because reading about something and doing something are completely different things. My sex-ed courses did little to prepare me, for example! The first time is supposed to be confusing and frightening, and if someone has more experience than you, asking certain things is totally natural. So I DO pride myself on scenes such as that! I have to disagree with the objection against it. Sorry! ): Hopefully you enjoyed the rest of the story! (:**

 **Again, this story WILL lead into canon. I will aim for 50 chapters, but there will be a few chapters dedicated to an "after"-an epilogue. And don't forget, when I am finished with this story I will be going back to fix ALL of my little mistakes, so come back in a few months to check up on us! I won't change any of the plot or story line, I am hoping to just fix my accidents! There are plenty, trust me.**

 **I love you all. Really, I do. It means so much to me to hear from you.**

 **-Brittany**

 **Let me know what you thought about this chapter, okay? Is everything happening like you planned it? I hope you didn't see some of this coming! Also, please tell me if it's confusing to follow.**


	49. Chapter 49: You're not weak

Chapter 49: You're not weak.

A droplet, slow moving and lethargic, trails its way downwards from Shikamaru's hairline, directly into the outer ridge of his right eye. The salt burned, blurring his vision as he rapidly tried to blink away the pain. His hands trembled, frozen in sign as he desperately tried to keep his grip on the blue-skinned, white-haired Suigetsu. Repeatedly his flesh morphed into water, causing strain on the delicate shadow jutsu Shikamaru had cast.

Man, what a day.

"What's the big deal? We're not hurtin' anything."

Suigetsu speaks through his paralyzed teeth, fighting with as much strength as he could muster. You can hear his annoyance—the tone of his voice betrays his words almost humorously, as if his pleading could sway the likes of a hardened Konoha Jōnin.

In Shikamaru's peripherals, he sees that Karin is still flailing wildly. Chains—which give off an odd, yellow hue—seep from her body and connect to a large, spindle-like conduit that branches off into other smaller tubes. Undoubtedly, this odd set up is what keeps the Jumbotron safe, and keeps Naruto from pouncing forwards recklessly.

"How could you have gotten caught?" The redhead screams. "You big idiot, you were supposed to turn into a puddle when you heard someone approaching!"

She is weak and pale, obviously chakra depleted from keeping her barrier up for so long. The tips of her fingers are turning bluer as the minutes tick on. For now, this is a game of time, and time is not on Sasuke Uchiha's side.

Naruto is quiet, more so than he's ever been. He isn't quite sure how to progress—tactical situations weren't exactly his forte. His brain works on overdrive as he analyzes his environment, wondering when to strike and how hard to hit. It seemed like Karin's tentacles were everywhere, and though they were slow moving, he certainly didn't want to risk entrapment.

In the back of his mind, he worries that this is all some elaborate plot concocted by Orochimaru to send Sasuke packing again. Naruto certainly wouldn't put it past this gang of misfits, especially considering the timing of it all.

The soundproof room they are battling in gives them no access to the outside world. For all they know, Konoha has erupted into complete havoc. The worst case scenario involves Sasuke hanging by a rope, and that would be a huge possibility if things weren't settled within the next half-hour.

Shikamaru, who is still at a stalemate, is sweating profusely.

Over the years, he had become a formidable ninja. The genius had even found his rightful spot in Jōnin rank, going on various secret missions and leading platoons of men into some of the deadliest of territories. Yet, this is a delicate situation, and he is searching his brain for the next plan of attack.

Naruto narrows his eyes, watching wearily as his comrade struggles. If Karin weren't here, it would be simple to bind the fish-man up and lock him in a closet. But every movement Naruto tries to make is trailed with a whiplash from metallic cables.

He tiptoes around, keeping a good distance from the spitfire up ahead who is surrounded by displays and screens of all types. Each one is extending from wall sockets and various extension cords, showing a mess of electronic whatsits that mean nothing to Naruto in the least.

Seeing an opening, the blonde makes his move. He starts to dash forwards, arms extended to tackle his sort-of cousin, when Shikamaru's strained voice halts him immediately. "Naruto, stop! You can't just charge in after her!"

"What, why?" He answers back, regaining his balance. It wasn't as if he just jumped in without thinking—he'd been watching the sway of her jutsu for some time now. "We've got to end this quickly! I really don't want to hurt her, so unless you have a better plan, let me do what I have to do!"

"I'm sure she's set up traps in here, don't you think? If you disconnect any of that software, Konoha could lose _everything_. Just give me a minute while I figure things out."

Naruto is pretty sure that, if the man had his hands freed, they would create that familiar bird's nest shape—his _thinking pose_. This, however, does not make him relax in the least. They didn't _have_ a minute.

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

Could he, perhaps, use a chakra arm to knock her out? What if Naruto volleyed _over_ all of those electronics?

Nothing he thinks of seems like it would do any good, and Shikamaru's silence only sends a bout of dread to roll around from deep within his stomach.

Naruto shakes his head at all of the flaws in his plans, and does the one thing he knows how to do best; talk. "You can't keep doing this, Karin."

She narrows her eyes, refusing to fall for the Uzumaki man's famous speeches. In her heart, Karin knows that this is the right thing to do, and Sakura deserved the truth. Her manicured fingernails hover dangerously over her keyboard, giving him the only warning she will offer. "I'll erase every hidden and encrypted file this village has ever obtained if you don't leave. This is my obligation; my _duty._ "

"Your "duty"? Karin, you're not under Orochimaru's rule anymore! You don't have to do this!"

Her laugh is confusing—almost as confusing as the flip-flop of pain that immediately trails after it. Karin squeezes her bright eyes shut, trying to push herself farther past her limit. The Uzumaki were resilient, but that didn't mean she could last forever. She knew she had a good ten minutes before her body would give out.

"Orochimaru has nothing to do with it."

It may seem strange or unbelievable to the people around her, but Karin had a genuinely pure reason behind her meddling.

She had lived a hard life, treated worse than a slave, forced to expose her body and risk her life for the sake of those who didn't deserve it. Eventually, the woman started to fall into herself—she drifted off in the darkness of her soul for a very, very long time.

The smile that the boyish, 12-year-old Sasuke had shown her always popped up in the back of her head. Sometimes she thought of him when she was dying, left abandoned on the floor as her chakra tried to replenish itself. Other times, his face would appear in her dreams, warding off ever-present nightmares.

He was happy, so happy, and Karin wanted to be happy, too.

Karin started to fall in love with a produced product, coming up with her own distorted reality of the black-haired, blue-high-colored-shirt-wearing Genin that had saved her in the Forest of Death.

Perhaps he was a prince, bathed in the glory of wealth. Or, maybe he was showered in things other than coins—his parents probably spoiled him rotten and worried about him every single day. He probably had a lot of family—maybe he was coddled under their care. With a grin like that, there was _no way_ he'd ever seen the tragedies of this world.

Oh, how wrong she was.

It was a few years before Karin saw him again. His face showed no shadow of that smile she'd daydreamed about—that smile she'd searched for in her own reflection. Instead, he was zombie-like, trailing behind Orochimaru without a delayed step. Most people ran from the Sanin's abuse, but not Sasuke.

No, he _craved_ it.

After only a few weeks, she finally learned of his past. Kabuto was all too happy to tell her of the Uchiha demise. Sasuke had lost everyone he'd ever loved as a child—obviously he would turn out to be callous and emotionless.

But…he was certainly no child during the Chunin exams. He was _kind_ , and _happy_ , and _sweet_.

The face that he carried into Orochimaru's hideout was the face he should have held all along. This revelation only added to Karin's confusion, but it was easy for her to lock it up inside. Sasuke was still Sasuke, and in her musings, she'd fallen in love with him—bad chakra and all. Not once did she think that he could go _back_ to his old self.

Not once did she care to help with that change—not like Sakura.

It had only been a few months ago when Karin had followed the Hokage, Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke into the surveillance sector. It was so easy to hide her chakra signature—she was an expert in the subject—and the last thing those _great ninja_ were concerned with was a curious little rat.

The Sasuke that Karin had grown to know was nothing like the Sasuke Naruto and Sakura fought for. He had been a good young man once, a broken thing that was hell-bent on revenge and salvation. During their time as teammates, the barriers around Sasuke's soul had been chipped away—and while he was still cursed with hatred, he was not an evil person.

In that way, Karin can never forgive Sasuke. He had been offered a second chance—he had been blessed with unconditional love that normally only parents and siblings could offer. And what did he do with it?

Peeking through that door, she watched the boy, whose smile had been her salvation, die. The last piece of his heart, and of his humanity, was left with Sakura when he laid her on a stone bench, and ran away to get stronger.

Sasuke left his old life, because he found weakness in the feelings he had for his newfound family, and Karin could never forgive him for that. If she had had that chance—if she had been graced with a do-over, running to Orochimaru would have _never_ happened.

Karin is lost inside of her head—even Naruto and all of his denseness could tell. The wetness that sheets her skin gathers atop her upper lip, and she's grown so pale that she almost looks dead. It worries him, and he doesn't know what to do or what to say.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"I don't know why you're doing this. I don't know if you hate Sasuke, or if you love him, or if you have some other intention that you don't want to tell. It doesn't matter—Sasuke is my friend, and I can't let you take him from me again."

To his surprise, Karin laughs once more. The sound bubbles up from her chest and ricochets around the room, causing even _Suigetsu_ to falter. After all, none of this was part of the plan, and her maniac giggling was starting to really freak him out. The poor guy just needed a strong partner to help him gather the rest of the swords he so longed for—out of Sasuke, Jugo and Karin, Sasuke was the least bothersome. He was sure once this video got out, they'd be Team Taka once more.

 _I guess fucking NOT._

"Sasuke isn't who I'm trying to help!" Karin exclaims. With that, she slams her hand on her keyboard and releases her jutsu.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha has been gifted with many rare and unwanted sights within his lifetime. He has seen death, he has seen torture, he has seen pain—he's _felt_ all of these things at least once, too.

The first time he'd ever seen the life drain out of someone's body, he was five years old. Sasuke had wandered off, looking for Itachi, when three ANBU jumped from beyond a thatch of greenery and dealt with a rogue ninja.

Now, Sasuke knows that this may have been a necessary task, but the look of absolute terror in that woman's eyes as a kunai lodged within her spine was one that he would never be able to forget.

Sasuke has killed. Sasuke has also _saved_. He has risked it all for people he loved, hated, or felt no emotion towards—all for the sake of ninja-dom—because that was what shinobi did. Never show emotion, never reveal secrets, and always remain vigilant.

And yet, through all of the sadness and despair he'd been graced with, none of this compared to the look of utter betrayal a twelve-year-old girl had managed to shoot right into the flesh of his heart.

 **"** **From here on out, we all begin new paths."** His voice says. He wonders how he managed to keep it so…steady. He wonders if he's really _that_ great at keeping his emotions in check, regardless of how weak and insolent he feels.

Sakura's warm body is no longer wrapped around him, and perhaps that's for the better. He doesn't want to hear, see, touch, or _feel_ anything—it would be so easy to drift away into his subconscious and send his body on autopilot.

But Sasuke doesn't run away anymore. Instead, he remains paralyzed while clenching his fists and keeping his feet glued to the ground. He closes his eyes—his mind would never let him forget what he'd done. Not even the smallest of details, like…

…like the way Sakura's voice broke, the first time she confessed her love.

 **"** **I love you with all my heart! If you were to stay with me…there would be no regrets. Because every day we'd do something fun. We'd be happy…I swear! So…I would do anything for you! Please, just stay with me!"**

And, damn that thin-limbed, boyish, cotton-candy pink-haired girl—it was such a hard proposition to walk away from. Sasuke's sure that could have given him every happiness he'd ever needed or wanted.

If things hadn't turned out like they had—if Orochimaru hadn't have shown up— Naruto and Sakura could have saved him from the Curse of Hatred.

Sasuke opens his eyes and looks up towards the monitor, watching as the piss-yellow barrier falls in shattered glimmers of light all around. He's sure that, whatever it was made of had to have come from a very formidable opponent—maybe even someone he's shunned in the past.

Every bit of this, he deserved. Though he's not proud of his mistakes, he accepts them, because he's proud of who he is now.

One of Naruto's clones dashes forward, ready to demolish the screen and keep everyone from watching the great SasuSaku travesty, but he's stopped. All it takes is that gentle clasp around his wrist and the dead-eyed stare of resolve his brother emitted to halt him.

Sasuke has decided.

* * *

"Shikamaru, sir, what would you like us to do now?"

"Work on your response time," The man barks back. He's livid, exhausted, and ready to tear into some subordinates. "Naruto and I have been down here for twenty minutes trying to hold of Bonnie and Clyde here. What were you doing?"

Naruto has really never heard Shikamaru berate anyone. In a way, the man looks fatherly. With his hands on his hips, sporting a splotchy red face, he waves a finger around and tells them to take Karin and Suigetsu to Holding Cell 2 for questioning.

Everything had happened rather quickly, almost too quickly to describe. Once Karin started the final video, Naruto had attacked harshly, slamming her whole backside against a cement wall. While a few of the screens had been damaged, everything else seemed to have remained in good order. The limp Karin fell to Naruto's feet, and Suigetsu gave up moments later with a dejected sigh and an eye-roll.

"How's Sasuke doing?" Shikamaru asks as he makes his way to Karin's cubby. There are still sparks flying from a few of the laptops, but he's sure he can figure his way around it. There's got to be something hidden amongst these zip-drives that he could put to good use. He opens Command Prompt, settling for the bare bones of the functioning computer.

"Well, he didn't want me to shut down the Jumbotron." Naruto replies.

Very rarely did he sound sullen. Shikamaru knows he is at a standstill, unsure of what to do and who to stand up for. He'd seen true happiness within Sasuke—even if it was just in small bouts—but Sakura deserved the truth, no matter how hard it was to handle.

Everyone deserved the truth.

Shikamaru's fingers tap frantically as he tries to reach some of the arena's surveillance cameras, so they at least have an idea of what's going on. Naruto isn't sure he wants to see this play out, so he doesn't bother with any more clones and instead, lies down on the bare floor.

Though it's not his burden to carry, he feels guilty. "If I would have tried to talk to Karin a bit more, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Shikamaru, who has no time for pity, shakes his head. "If Sasuke would have been honest with Sakura from the get-go, and treated her like he was supposed to, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Look, I'm in."

Sakura's muted voice plays from the computers. She' is telling Sasuke that she would give up everything for him—her home, her friends, her family—just to help with his revenge.

Shikamaru switches views, looking for Kakashi to make sure he's alright.

"So, you're not going to stop it?" Naruto says, not sure of how to feel.

"Nope,"

Through the Command Prompt, he sends a signal to Kakashi—Red Bird 2—the mission has been successful. Then, once more, he's back to his original scan. As scans, a light goes off in his head, and the smirk that spreads across Shikamaru's face is almost…relieving.

"Hey, Naruto, how about you go check on Hinata, and tell Ino she'll have a few people waiting for her in Interrogation? Leave the rest to me."

The blond smiles and heels his palm to his chin. If Shikamaru had a plan, it was undoubtedly foolproof. He stands, brushes off his pants, and solutes the Jōnin before leaving.

* * *

Sakura can't stop her hands from shaking. Her neck is hurting from the strain—she has too look so far up—but she can't pull her eyes away. Everything feels _wrong_ , even as Kakashi's voice echoes from the intercoms.

"I am sorry about that, everyone. It seems there was a…technical mishap. It's being resolved as we speak, so please remain seated and calm."

There's a hatred welling up inside of her heart, and Sakura isn't sure who it's directed towards. She has never despised Sasuke—even during their darkest of moments together. But right now, she's not sure _how_ she feels.

She throws him a glare, letting the confused shouts from the dome's audience fade into the background. "You're just going to watch?"

Sasuke blinks and slowly turns his head towards the girl, as if she was being _blessed_ with his concerns. Did he _want_ Sakura to be humiliated? Why did he stop Naruto? Why wasn't he doing anything?

Why did she feel so…so _weak._

 **"** **You really are annoying."**

No one is laughing. No one that sees this thinks it's amusing in the _slightest_ , but for some reason, Sakura _swears_ that everyone is mocking her.

In her head, she hears the scornful ridicule of her peers. Emerald eyes grow blurry as they fill with tears that refuse to fall. Things flash in and out of her mind—little girls who tease her forehead and her hair—a boy that calls her a monster—an older man who says she's the most unfeminine thing he'd ever seen. " _What a nerd,_ ", " _You're such a bitch!"_ , " _Shouldn't you be training more?"_

And, for Sakura, it seems like the world is out to get her.

It's funny how the mind can misrepresent reality.

Fury flows through her, and she's unable to stop her body from moving. In one powerful, painful blast, Sakura rears back and winds up a hit that could shatter Sasuke's bones and organs in one fell swoop. Lucky for him, Susanoo's ribcage takes the brunt of the force.

Naruto had just gotten to Hinata. He had gathered her puffy cheeks in his hands, kissed her nose, and nuzzled against her neck when an explosion rocked the stadium.

The impact almost knocked him back—he steadied himself and his wife against the railing in the nick of time as a burst of wind whipped around them. Ino groans from her downward position—she is sprawled out on the ground, nursing her bruised elbow as she tries to make sense of _what the hell just happened._

The people around her—civilian and ninja alike, all scramble up to their feet just as Sakura's shrill, anger-filled voice shakes the foundation.

"Fight me!"

Naruto's blue eyes widen in _amazement_ at the crater in the side of the stadium. Dust and debris float from it in a dizzying whirlwind, and slowly, the purple, hazy skeleton of Sasuke's jutsu emerges.

Only a ribcage is visible, and it's crushed—crushed, by the bare-knuckled punch of Sakura Haruno.

Oh, _fuck._

* * *

The last thing Sasuke expected today was to be leveled by the girl he'd made love to just earlier that morning. A lot of strange things have happened in his lifetime, but this really took the cake.

And Sasuke _hated_ cake.

The Uchiha pulls himself from cement, falling to the ground in a defensive roll just as a toned, white leg flies past his side. Susanoo is dispersed Sasuke clambers to his feet, regaining his balance as the earth warps and separates into rubble.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

At first, he really isn't sure _he_ said that. He's never heard anything like it come out of his mouth—not even during his worst days of puberty. Still, there was no denying the squeaky, amazed croak that flew from his lips and entered Sakura's eardrum.

"You think it's funny, do you? You like it when I look _weak_ ; when I look _foolish_."

From out of nowhere a body drops into the arena. It rushes forwards, wrapping both arms around Sakura's hips just as she's about to go at Sasuke again. Sakura doesn't care who's holding her back, though—she's more concerned with Sasuke at the moment.

Her heart is breaking all over again. Her calamity is playing out for everyone to see—and Sasuke is doing nothing about it. Sakura throws both legs out, forcing Hojo to completely take the brunt of her weight.

"I loved you! I loved you so much; I was willing to throw everything away for you. Does my embarrassment please you, or something? Did Orochimaru fuck you up that badly? You stopped Naruto just so everyone could see this! I saw you!"

Sasuke wipes his cheek, smearing mud across it in the process. "What makes you think this is about you?" He snaps. He's never been one to sugar-coat things. "Do you really expect everyone to do _everything_ for you? Naruto has to fix it, make it better? You're not that weak, so stop playing the part!"

"Hey!" Hojo hisses back. This time, he tosses Sakura behind him. She's so angry, so heated that she can't even think of what to say back. And yet again, someone sticks up for her.

And yet again, she lets them.

"What's so bad about relying on your friends? Our bonds make us _stronger._ You're the weak one, because you desert your countrymen and your companions to suite your needs!"

Sasuke has tried with Hojo, really. He ignored the soft touches he left on Sakura, he took the quips with a grain of salt, and he kept his hands firmly by his side no matter how much he wanted to use them.

Beyond all that, he was a prideful man. No one liked seeing someone weaker get stomped, and Sasuke was truly tired of being the "bad guy".

But, Sasuke knew better than to let this pup keep nipping at his ankles. Sometimes, they needed to learn their place.

The first time Sasuke ever got into a fist fight, he was six-years-old. His cousin, Taki, had just thrown his pregnant dog into the river, and laughed as she struggled to the bankside. That was also the first time Sasuke thought that he could _truly_ kill someone, if he needed to. He understood what it meant to _protect_.

His mother dressed his swollen lip that night, but didn't have the slightest hint of a frown on her face. Sasuke did _great,_ Sasuke saved the day, Sasuke found a good home for that doggie—she was proud of her boy.

Sasuke is not protecting anyone, this time. No, Sasuke was the bad guy—he was not great, he was not going to save the day, he would not make his mother proud.

His knuckles sting from the cuts Hojo's teeth has left on them. He's sure that some are jagged and broken, but not even _that_ stops him. Hojo desperately wraps his hands around Sasuke's neck, unable to reach for a weapon or weave any kind of hand sign. Sasuke has turned wild, _ruthless,_ and unfortunately for Hojo, he's taking the brunt of it all.

Fuck this guy for trying to be _great_ , for trying to _save the day_ , for trying to _give Sakura a good home_.

Sakura's not a dog!

She's not weak!

She can handle herself!

Stop sticking up for her!

It's Naruto that throws Sasuke off—the entire ordeal had lasted less than a minute, but it's been a lifetime for Sakura. Time always seemed to stand still when Sasuke is at his worst. She falls to the ground beside Hojo, letting her healing hands cover his lips as all of Konoha screeches from the balconies.

"What are you doing?" Naruto yells, shoving Sasuke harshly. They are face to face, snapping snouts at one another for a moment before the blonde turns towards Hojo. He picks him up by the collar. "And you—get the hell out of here! You could have gotten killed!"

"I'm not going to leave her with this sociopath! _Sakura_ could have gotten killed." His speech is slurred and blood stains his skin gruesomely.

"He would never—he would never do that!"

Hojo doesn't stop. "Are you serious? How can you defend him? What the hell kind of Hokage wants this guy in his village! We all saw what he did to her on those videos. He'll rip a hole through her chest in a second, and you don't care?"

Sakura screams out, grabs her hair and curls in on herself, tucking her face into her knees. "Stop! Just stop already!"

She's sobbing now, like a young child. The heaving of her chest makes her voice brittle and deep. Sakura is breaking apart in front of everyone—everyone that has or will ever matter to her—and there's nothing she can do about it.

Naruto approaches her, like she is a frightened rabbit and he is a trained veterinarian—like he knows _exactly_ what to do. It's a part he's always played in her life. Naruto was the one that made everything _better._

And this infuriates Sasuke.

When Sasuke grabs Sakura, he's not gentle in the least. He hauls that girl up to her feet and wraps his hands harshly around her shoulders, forcing her to look in to his deep, cold eyes.

He's always been beautiful to her—in the timeless sense. Rich skin, floppy black hair, a strong nose and fathomless irises that belong to his older brother—these are all things that make up Sasuke Uchiha. His nails dig into the skin of her collarbone, forcing more tears to well up and fall over her swollen rims.

" **You** stop! Stop letting everyone else stand up for you!"

She grabs his wrists, fighting off his pressure as she shakes her head frantically.

"You're strong, Sakura. You're the strongest woman I know. You don't need Hojo to protect you! You don't need Naruto to stop this video, or bring me back, or be your big brother. You don't need your mother or your father's approval for jack _shit_. You don't need Ino to tell you how to feel, or how to look, or what to do!"

"Let go!"

 **"** **Thank you."**

It's Sasuke who said it, but not the Sasuke in front of her. She jerks her head towards the Jumbotron, watching as that young boy delivers his blow and lets her drop to the ground in a mess of red and pink and sorrowful tears.

Except, he doesn't.

His young, boyish arms gather under her knees and at the back of her neck. She weighs nothing in his arms. The boy walks her slowly to the stone bench, laying her body down gently and modestly. Sasuke clasps her hand, trying his best to remove it from the blue fabric of his shirt, but it won't budge. Even unconscious, Sakura refuses to let go.

The camera pans, giving everyone view from the lamppost. Hot, saltine trails stream down his fevered cheeks—his face shows strain, like his heart is breaking, like he's doing one of the hardest things he's ever had to do.

Sasuke's humanity is on full view, silencing the thousands of people who had despised him only an hour ago. The screen turns black, and then Shikamaru finally steps in, because there's more of the true Sasuke for all to see.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I'm sorry it took an extra week for this update. It was hard to get all of the scene changes, and I really hope it doesn't seem rushed. I will have the next chapter out ASAP. Life got in the way for me, and a lot of stuff kept me from doing my duties! Things are slowly progressing, so I'm sending a big hug and a kiss to everyone who has still stayed with me thus far. I really care about all of you. Message me and leave a review if there's anything you'd like to say, or anything I need to explain better, or anything that doesn't make sense! I have a lot of plot holes and I'd really like to try and fix them!**

 **Talk to you soon, and I'll update as quickly as I can!**

 **-BK**


	50. Chapter 50: I'm already yours

Chapter 50: I'm already yours.

I am six. Hot wind blows through my floppy black hair, making my eyes feel dry and itchy. I can smell Itachi's scent. I can feel his breathing with my chest against his back, an up and down cadence that calms my quickly beating heart. I know I'm too old to be asking for piggy-back rides, but I enjoy them, especially after getting hurt.

I got hurt a lot.

 **"So, Sasuke, what did Taki do again?** "

I groan, because I've already told him twice. Itachi wouldn't ever punish me himself, but he had an obligation to tell our mother about any incidences I was involved in. The teachers stopped sending notes home and went directly to big brother, mentioning everything from grades to fights. He was a doctor, a teacher, and a guardian, all molded into one lean and scrawny body.

 **"He threw his doggie in the river."**

 **"The pregnant one?"**

After my hum of confirmation, I wiggle my fingers and uncurl them from big brothers shirt. There is blood on my knuckles, dark and cakey as if I'd been smashing berries. They hurt, but it's a _good_ kind of hurt, like when you wade through thorny rosebushes to retrieve a girls hat, or you work really hard on making a wreath crown, and you're proud even though your fingers are sore.

 **"You know,"** Itachi says, putting me down onto the road outside of our home. **"Father was right about you."**

He doesn't walk into the compound like I think he will do. Instead, he takes a seat on a wicker chair and motions me towards its twin. I plop down, unsure about what kind of lecture I'm in for. Father doesn't talk to me much, mostly because it's hard to keep conversation with a young boy. He is interested in law and ninja-dom, not schoolwork and dinosaurs. What would he have said about _me?_

" **What was father right about?** " I ask.

Itachi is kind and gentle. He's someone I look up to, someone I aspire to be one day. I think there should be books written about him. I think he'll have his face carved in the side of the Hokage mountain when he looks as old as the Fourth. He picks at a loose reed from his chair, before clearing his throat and speaking.

 **"Father…wants you to take over his position as police chief someday. Did you know that?"**

I clench my fist and furrow my eyebrows because I've never heard a _hint_ of this before. It seems _impossible_ for him to think something like that. His compliments are rare, almost nonexistent.

 **"That can't be true. Everyone says you're the genius. He'd want you there.** "

Itachi smiles a smile that is burned into my head. It reminds me of family holidays and brotherly bonding and the warmth of his lap when I rested my head upon it. It's a soft, sea-salt breeze. It's a rain-scented, foggy day. It's the feel of mint-tea rolling across your red tonsils.

It's perfect.

 **"Sasuke, we think _differently_. You are a genius that is swayed by his heart, and I am one that is swayed by my mind. That doesn't make one of us better than the other."** All too suddenly, his expression turns grim. **"Ninja cannot show emotion. They don't always operate on what is bad and what is good. They listen to their superiors and hope that they are wise and just. That's why father wants you to be with the police—your heart speaks too loudly for you to deny it."**

I think I'm going to chew a hole through my lip. I'm trying my best to keep along and to understand. It's a lot to take in, especially when you're just learning what ninja even _do_. **"Why are you saying this to me?"**

 **"Because, I don't want you to stop listening to your heart. Save the pregnant dogs, Sasuke. Do what you think is right no matter what the punishment or deed is. So long as your spirit isn't cursed, you'll do the right thing, and that's why father wants you to be an officer. I know that, even if someone like _me_ told you to let that dog be, you'd follow your heart. "**

It's almost funny to hear his words now, because he is the one who damned me.

* * *

I am seven, and I am running.

I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die.

I feel like I'm trapped in a never-ending nightmare; I want mother to wake me up and tell me that everything is alright—Itachi wouldn't _ever_ try to hurt me. I want to hear her voice and see her smile and fall asleep in her arms.

This is _real,_ though.

Well, as real as seeing it second-hand could get.

A lady in the street sees me. She had just finished shooing a fat, mangy cat off her doorstep when the sound of my running feet caught her attention. My knees buckle before I can reach the doorstep to her home and I fall to the ground, heaving up the contents of my stomach.

 **"Are you alright?"** She asks. I don't remember her voice sounding frightened, but maybe that's because I was worried about my own terror.

 **"He killed them,** " I say, in a shrill, childlike voice. It's hard to see from this grainy footage, but I know how deeply their blood stained my clothing.

She ushers me inside the screen turns black, cutting off a piece of my life from the audience. They don't know what happened afterward. They don't know how many bodies were taken away from the Uchiha compound, or how long it took for workers to clean the plasma and brain matter from windows and floorboards, or how many nights I woke up screaming, seeing this very night play out over and over in my mind.

They don't know, but I do.

Sakura weeps beside be, but I'm too numb to react.

* * *

Iruka-sensei is sitting on a chair in a brightly lit room. He is nodding to whoever is behind the camera, sharing a silent exchange of smiles and nods and thumb-ups. He looks older than the last time I saw him, but may that's because I rarely pay attention to relics of the past. His headband shines, as if he polishes it every day, and his uniform is neatly pressed.

 **"State your name,"**

The voice is masculine and scratchy, almost like Shikamaru's. My ears are tuned, but my eyes are the best of my senses, and I'm not posititve on who is asking the questions. Nonetheless, it continues in it's lackadaisical monotone. **"And tell the camera who you are."**

 **"Uh, yes, I am Iruka Umino. I'm a Chunin academy teacher. I was Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto's sensei before they were promoted to Genin level."**

 **"Great. Now, what do you remember the most about our—their—class?"**

He laughs and rubs his temples, as if the memory induces a headache. **"They were a spirited bunch, that's for sure. There's always a few pranksters and delinquents in every grade, but I'd never had so many who were just as smart as they were _devious._ I always prided myself in never choosing favorites, but I began to look forward to our daily lessons more and more as time inched by."**

The man behind the camera lets out a chuckle. " **What do you remember the most about Team 7?"**

 **"I suppose I should start with Naruto. He...was a crazy, good-for-nothing prankster. I cared a lot for him, because he was like I was at that age. Every sentence I said was questioned, and every time I disciplined him it felt as though I was getting nowhere. In all, he was a knuckle-headed goofball who didn't know just how precious he was."**

Iruka crosses his arms and takes a long drink of water. The stiffness of his vest seems to be getting to him, so he unzips the first few inches and tugs the material away from his neck.

I take this time to look at Naruto, who no longer has his grip on Hojo and instead, just like everyone else, is watching the jumbotron in awe. Naruto was very open and comfortable about his feelings, which is rare for a man and even rarer for ninja. Hearing Iruka speak so candidly must be quite the shock for him.

 **"Sakura Haruno was sweet and quiet."** Iruka continues. **"I had always assumed she'd work as a genjutsu-specialist, but she's gone far beyond that. Her mind worked in mysterious ways—all of her knowledge was self-taught. She didn't even know how to read when she first started the academy, but the girl was tenacious and eventually became one of our most intelligent students."**

Sakura and I are always drawn together, whether it be inexplicable or understandable. The sound of her voice can pull me out of the deepest recess of my mind. The smell of her hair can level me. The touch of her skin can send a wild blaze of heat across my entire _being_. But those eyes, oh, those emerald eyes, they can shatter my spirit in one fell swoop.

I am not afraid of what she will say to me, but I do want it to be postponed. I cannot tell if I'm meant to be redeemed or condemned at the end of this video, but whatever it may be, I want to experience my life through someone else's point-of-view. I know all of the bad, but there's a lot of good that I missed out on. What was I blinded to, in my darkness?

 **"Finally, there's Sasuke, the pride of the Uchiha clan. He was the best student anyone could ask for.** "

Iruka dusts off imaginary dirt from his bottoms and takes another sip of water. After a few seconds of wiping his lips, and another brush of his jeans, he continues. "He turned in his work on time, never bothered anyone, and did what he was told…on most occasions. The only time I can remember a discrepancy in his attitude was during the second semester of school. I had once told everyone to write down who they would want to be with, if the moon were to fall."

The camerman laughs, as if he remembers that day clearly. This seems to take some discomfort out of Iruka.

 **"It's a simple request, really, but this group _always_ had something silly to say. Naruto, of course, made a mockery of me. He has always been really good at bringing out the worst of my attitude...**

 **"Anyways, after I settled everyone down and convinced them to write on their paper, I rewarded them with a recess so I could read their notes. This is a question I ask every year, you know, so I'm rarely surprised by what's wrote down. Some kids put their parents and their siblings on their papers, some boys and girls like to scribble their crushes names—none of that is unusual. There's always _someone_ that they want to be with.**

 **"Naruto was an exception for a lot of things, and I wasn't angry at that. For this project, I knew he would have a difficult time choosing someone he trusted in that way. He ended up throwing his note out of the window, so I made a big scene about how childish he was, knowing full well I wouldn't have graded it anyways.**

 **"Per usual, Sasuke Uchiha's work was at the bottom of the pile. The class president, who had a huge crush on him, liked to keep him in the classroom as long as she could with the hopes of a simple conversation. His parents really raised him right, you know, because he sat through her slow pace every day. Poor guy. When I finally got around to his assignment, I was surprised that it was not finished. At least, not in a way I was expecting…"**

I steady my breathing, trying to remember this event as if it were important to me. To be honest, I don't remember much about the weeks following the murder of my clan. They just kind of mesh together, nights and days full of training and crying and coiling rage.

 **"What did his paper say, sir? Who did Sasuke want to be with, if the moon fell?"**

 **"It said, _" Ochiru,"."_**

 ** _"_ What does that mean, Iruka-Sensei?"**

 **"Let it fall."**

* * *

I am 12, and we are waiting for Kakashi to finish his shitty introduction. He goes on about nothing, only giving me his full name, making both Sakura and Naruto completely annoyed. I am both anxious and exhausted, because I'm one step closer to completing my goal, but I'm also weighed down with the lives of two obnoxious _children_.

Sakura sassily whispers to us, **"So all he told us was his name? Che!"**

Naruto is bright and big for all to see. He adjusts his headband as he speaks, ready to introduce himself. He is talking from his chest, like a bullfrog. **"...and my dream is to surpass the Hokage, so the people of this village acknowledge my existence!"**

For the first time since the video started, someone yells out. It's not in anger or a heckle. It's a shout of appraisal. Naruto always had a knack for bringing people together, and before long scattered claps and cheers ricochet around. I can feel the orange idiot come up beside me, and he offers no reassurance besides his presence.

He knows that is enough for me.

My introduction is just as vague as Kakashi's, except I waste no time telling my ambitions. **"...To kill a certain man."**

The reactions between my teammates are comical to some, because at least a few laugh out loud. To me, I see my own strength and perseverance shine through. That was back when I only knew of black and white things; when I believed good and evil could not co-exist.

 **"Ya know, Sasuke,"** Naruto says to me. **"I was sure you meant _me_ when you said that."**

When it's Sakura's turn, she's all blushes and smiles. I'm sure it's an uncommon occurrence now—she's a formidable kunoichi who runs her own clinic. But, the girl on that screen is the girl I used to know. She is familiar, safe, just as safe as the Sakura who is flanking me, but so many things are different about her.

Adult Sakura is lean and spry, confident in her prowess but not in her body—while her old self seems to be the complete opposite. The girl on the monitor has never killed. The girl on the monitor believed in true love and fairy tales. Turning her head to hide herself from the embarrassment of her past, Sakura ducks behind her hands, only peeking now and again.

 **"Um, well, what I like is…I mean the person I like…"**

Back then, I hadn't learned to control the heat that rose to my face when she said something troublesome. I had never _needed_ to cover up a blush. Just like all things, I got better with age, but I was still so young. From the camera on the bridge you can see the redness that feathers my pale skin as she prattles on about nonsense. Sakura whips towards me, sporting the same dark color upon her cheeks. Her face is a mixture of confusion and bemusement, but all I can think about is how dizzying it must be to go from wanting to _fight_ me, to looking at me like I'm a human again.

* * *

I'm twelve and we're on our first D-Rank mission. The day is warm and our bodies are sticky with sweat—we've been plucking weeds for hours now. Naruto pulls everything from the ground, creating a huge pile of healthy _and_ intrusive plants. Kakashi is sitting under a tree, reading his strange novel slower than a snails pace. Sakura is bending over a fence-line, craning her arms so she can reach a fist-sized dandelion from the field.

I am watching, starstruck, as the black fabric of her shorts rise and show skin that is normally hidden from view. I don't know why I can't turn my eyes away. I don't know why the action distracts me—but Kakashi knows, and when he clears his throat I jerk my head back towards him and throw a menacing sneer.

The audience seems to think the entire situation is incredibly hysterical. They all seem to think I'm heartless. They forget that I was once a young boy, too, who had hormones and lewd thoughts and embarrassing moments. This isn't anything I particularly care to be seen, but I'm tired of being someone I'm not.

I didn't love Sakura then. I didn't think of anything beyond the fact that her skin looked soft, and maybe I wouldn't mind touching it, if I were a different person. When she finally picks that dandelion, the long-haired teen skips straight to me and thrusts it into my chests.

I don't take it.

I want to _burn it._

* * *

I am 13, and the Chunin exams arrive. I am staring down Orochimaru. Everything about him makes my body, cells and all, scream for me to get away. The first time I'd ever felt a fear like this, was when Itachi was chasing me down the streets of our family compound. The only difference is that I could _run_ that time. The bloodlust within Orochimaru is enough to completely halt me. I can see my own death through his eyes—a kunai to the forehead—and my body shakes and heaves in response.

It would have been smart to leave Sakura behind, then. It wouldn't have been very righteous of me, but I have never been known for being a good person. I could have saved her a lot of turmoil.

The silence from the stadium is almost palpable. It's as if... as if they can hear the thoughts that pour out of my head.

But I am 13, and I'm not evil. I am 13 and all I can think about is the way Sakura is trembling, the paleness of her usually healthy skin, the absolute terror in her eyes, and I know I can't let her get hurt. I would _never_ let her get hurt.

In slow motion, I pull out my own kunai and force it into my thigh. Blood starts pouring from my leg instantly, seeping along the whiteness of my shorts like a puddle. The pain is enough to make me move, so I do, and I wrap my arms around Sakura just in time to dodge those poison-tipped knives. You can see the urgency in my movements. My steps are quiet and I try to formulate a plan, anything to get us out of this situation and away from the tidal wave that is Orochimaru.

Things were never that easy with the Snake Sanin.

It's almost like a movie drama—except; I've already read the book. I know what happens next, but seeing it play out is a new experience all together. A fight rages on and I'm _scared,_ I'm willing to give up our chance at becoming Chunin just to walk away from this unscathed. I don't want to die…I _can't_ die, because I wouldn't be able to avenge my clan if I was dead. It didn't matter what Naruto said or did because _he was an idiot_ that was stapled to a tree. He was an idiot that left everything to me.

My flight instincts scream at me to leave, to run. Sakura Haruno, screams something different.

Her words cut me deep and they draw out a strength I never knew I had. I didn't know it then, but Sakura had a knack for bringing out the best of me. **"It's true, that unlike you, Naruto is clumsy and can get in the way…"**

I hear her, all the while keeping my eyes on the man that could end everything.

 **"But, at least he's not a coward!"**

I thought about Itachi, then. I thought about his decree. I did not want to hate, and live in spite, and run, and cling desperately to my life. I did not want to kill the people I cared for just to get stronger. I did not want to hide from fearsome enemies just to wake up weaker the next day.

So, I fight.

I fight with every ounce of my teenage will. I parry and juke and trick and hit, my fire is skin-melting hot and my kicks are bone-crushing fast. If it had been anyone else, I might have been victorious. But no matter how often I capture him, or how well I do, nothing works and Orochimaru _wont die_. In the end, I make no headway, and the next thing I know I'm on my knees with molten lava seeping through two small puncture wounds on my neck.

Sakura's shriek lingers in the air. Her first line of action is to question the Sanin, but my inhuman screams draw her nearer to my body. I would not even be able to recognize the noise coming from my lips if I didn't see myself yelling it out, squeezing Sakura's hand as tightly as I could. I don't think I was even coherent at that time.

In those seconds as she looked up to the sky, asking what she should do, pleading to the gods to help her, all goes quite.

* * *

The next few moments are ones that do not belong to me. She is seen carrying both mine and Naruto's body through layers of thick foliage, searching for the best spot to rest without drawing anymore attention to herself. This girl, with no healing abilities or noticeable strengths, becomes a force to be reckoned with.

Each track her shoes make is expertly covered. Sakura alternates between our bodies, stowing one under the cover of leaves and dirt as she hauls the other deeper and deeper into the woods. Just when you think she's done for, she repeats her trek, finally ending her struggle in the hollow of a large oak tree. She pours water down our mouths and places cloths on our heads to drop our fevers. Her tiny body moves silently, setting traps as exhaustion eats away at her reserves.

You can always tell how much a person means to you when they are at their lowest. It's easy for someone to die for you, because death is simple and normally quick. But to live for someone, to fight for them, to protect their essence and disregard self-preservation—this is true courage. This is true power. This is _rare._

Night comes and goes; Sakura does not sleep. She is dithering between unconsciousness, but still stays alert enough to check our temperatures and dampen our lips with the torn cloth of her skirt. Small, feminine fingers linger over our throats, counting pulses as she keeps a mental note of the rises and falls of our heartbeats. When she is finally attacked, I start to remember.

I remember how much I wanted to _kill._

I am 13 and I wake up to the sound of Sakura's grunts. I didn't know it was her, then, but I do now. Even Rock Lee had tried to save us, and for that I'm eternally grateful. I know I don't show gratitude as much as I should, but there's no time like the present. I swear, after all of this, I have a lot of making up to do. Especially to _her._

The cameras don't quite pick up on the chakra seeping from my pores. You can see the shock and horror on the faces of those present. You can see just how fearsome I was, looking around that battlefield, asking who had hurt Sakura.

Sakura, the smart one. Sakura, the smiley one. Sakura, the one that never deserved to get injured because of me or Naruto.

I can admit now that I snapped. I felt a surge of power I could have never imagined run through me. I was 13, and I was _invincible_ , and I wasn't going to let these people get away with what they'd done.

The audience remembers the boy who ogled at the girl who bent over to pick flowers for him. Now, they will remember the boy who dislocated a mans shoulders because he hurt the girl who bent over to pick flowers for him.

My anger was not so easily appeased. I felt a need to destroy every last one of them—the man with the sleeves that were too large and the cocky, brown-haired woman. I even felt anger for the ones that let this happen. _What the hell was Lee doing on the ground like that? Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, none of you could help her?_

But, I am only 13. I am still just a boy who can be calmed by the simplest of things. I don't want my friends to be afraid of me. I don't want Sakura to be afraid of me. As I am walking, ready to end that Sound ninja's life, I suddenly feel the hands of heaven draw me back down.

" _ **Stop,** " _They say. They were warm and shaking, but sturdy. I could lean into them. I could fall into them. " _ **Please, Sasuke, don't do this**."_

I knew that voice. I turn and find Sakura, with wide, green eyes that overflow with tears upon tears upon tears.

I am still just a boy who can be calmed by the simplest of things.

I don't want my friends to be afraid of me.

I don't want Sakura to be afraid of me.

 _Not ever._

* * *

" **You didn't finish any of them off. _"_** Orochimaru says.

I am 14, and I am bored. There's a scent of must and blood in the air that makes my stomach churn. Anyone else would be used to it, living with Orochimaru, but I'm still sensitive to the aroma.

Around me, one-thousand men lie. Each one is knocked out, but breathing. I'm sure he's rounded up the baddest of the bad—not performance-wise, but morally—just so I'd feel a bit better about offing them. They were probably murderers or rapists or thieves.

It matters not, because none of them are Itachi, and I only have sway over _his_ life.

" **These aren't the men I need to kill."**

* * *

I am 15. I am waiting in a room where the most hideous of Orochimaru's experiments are created. I know every inch of his underground facility, and every ounce of information in regards to his test subjects. My plan is to learn this man inside and out, so that when he comes for my body, I'll have every advantage on my side. The time is coming. I can feel it.

The Snake Sanin is testing my rage. He says, " **Tell me, boy, are you weak?"**

Looking at him no longer disgusts me. I don't bother hiding the hatred in my eyes. I hate this man for everything that he is and isn't, but he is the strongest person I know, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I need him.

" **Don't talk to me."**

There is a dummy in front of me, shaped with hay to resemble a human man. I am working on a new jutsu, one that stretches my Chidori along the length of my blade. It will help me greatly in the event I'm forced away from an opponent.

" **You can kill them, then?"**

" **I can kill anyone."** I respond. I could, if I needed to. It didn't mean I _would._

" **Oh, I believe you. You killed you lover, after all."**

" **She wasn't my lover.** "

That Geisha was nothing to me. She was just another puppet to Orochimaru and Kabuto—a training specimen used to take away anything pure that was left within me, and hold it above my head.

I remember when I took her life. I remember when I was forced down, drugged, kept on the horizon of reality and fantasy. I remember waking up to her nails sending long welts along the flesh of my chest as she took me, telling me that I was _still weak._ That I was a _weak, little boy_ who would never become a man unless I enjoyed the warmth between her legs.

I remember wrapping my hands around her throat and never letting go, even when she'd turned blue.

I remember that I had never felt higher in all my life, than I did when I killed someone that dared to hurt me.

I couldn't wait to end Itachi.

Orochimaru circles me, looking at the shell of who I am. " **Your body is in perfect condition. Your mind is altered enough so taking control of it will be child's play. But, even with all of my help, I'm not sure you can kill Itachi."**

This angers me, because I've done everything right. I can almost sense his hesitancy. For a moment, I feel as though he'd rather battle me now and end it all. I am only 15, and I'm still not where I need to be power-wise.

I am only 15, and I know if I fight Orochimaru now, I will lose.

" **And why is that?"**

 **"It's simply because you couldn't kill Naruto."**

I hate the sound of his name. I hate how he is still holding me back, after all these years. I feel my body clench and coil. I feel rage build up within me. As if he can tell how _annoyed_ I am, Orochimaru laughs and brings out the saddest excuse of a clone I had ever seen.

This isn't a genjutsu. This isn't, technically, a shadow clone. But, this isn't _Naruto_ either. He's still short and lanky, as if he hadn't grown an inch from when I'd left. The thing is kicking and cursing and screaming against the henchman that brought him out. I want nothing more than to put it out of its misery.

" **If you can kill him, I'd say you could even kill Itachi. We've extracted the Nine Tailed Fox. He's of no use to us now."**

If killing this fake will give the Snake Sanin some resolve, I'll do it. It's easy. I plunge my sword into its heart and slide it right back out, flicking my weapon roughly to rid it of blood.

Orochimaru laughs, clearly happy.

" **Can you kill her? Can you kill the innocent?"**

He says everything he'd said before, when the video was first played. Orochimaru knows how much Sakura means to me, even if this thing isn't really her at all. She comes out, screaming, " **You killed him, you killed him, I hate you!"**

But this isn't Sakura.

Even on her weakest of days, she would _never_ give in to her sadness and listen to her captor. When Orochimaru said, " **Quiet, you!"** She would have screamed louder. When she saw me hurt Naruto, she would have fought tooth and nail to at least land a hit.

Sakura isn't weak.

I crouch down beside this thing and look at everything wrong with her. The eyes aren't Sakura's green. The hair isn't Sakura's pink. The skin isn't Sakura's peach. I snap it's neck and end it all.

But this time, the cameras don't cut off there. Kabuto comes into the room with a clipboard on his hip, eyeing the situation sarcastically. " **Lord Orochimaru, I could have made a more believable duo if you'd had just asked. We still have plenty experiments left over."**

 **"No, you couldn't have. _"_** I say. " **No one knows Naruto and Sakura, like I do."**

* * *

Naruto is as silent as he's ever been. He had always known Sasuke was better than what was originally portrayed. He had always known he'd lived a hard life, that he'd dealt some heavy blows.

It's still difficult to watch it all play out.

Hojo is seething next to him, blinking away tears that threaten to fall. If Naruto were in his shoes, he'd call it quits, but Hojo _isn't_ Naruto.

Sasuke stands motionless, looking up at the screen as it continues on with pieces of his life. There are lazy days by lakes, long nights by campfires, satisfying meals with his best friends. It's a part of him he'll never get back.

Stomping his feet, Yuma Hojo shoves himself directly into Sasuke's path. He shoves him roughly, hard enough to make him take a few steps back.

"You think this makes it all okay? You think your pitiful life is an excuse for you to treat everyone and everything like shit?"

"Hey, buddy," Naruto says tiredly. He places a heavy hand over Hojo's shoulder. "It's over now. Just stop with the fighting."

Sasuke is dazed. He's too calm.

"I won't stop fighting! I'll never stop fighting for what's right. This isn't right, Naruto. No one thinks this is right."

"No one is disagreeing with you, either!" Naruto finally snaps. He grabs the man by his collar, ignoring the roar of the audience. Sasuke's life is no longer on replay, and instead, a close-up of the action playing out is put on view.

"We get it. Sasuke did bad things. He did things no one will probably understand but himself. But what's so wrong about forgiveness? I could forgive Jiraya, who was my Godfather, who left me to be raised by the village. I could forgive Kakashi, who favored Sasuke more than me or Sakura. I forgave Gaara, who tried to kill me. I forgave Obito, who murdered my parents. I can forgive all of these people, _including Sasuke_ , and you're telling me you don't have the capacity to do the same? What in the hell makes you think it's _your_ place to decide any of this, anyways?"

With a voice like a child, Sakura makes herself known. She looks up from her hands, letting emerald eyes roam between Naruto's angered face and Hojo's. "He's right,"

She is not speaking about Naruto. She is not speaking about Hojo. She is speaking about Sasuke, and it's evident when she turns to him fully. "Naruto doesn't need to worry about me. You're right. He's got a baby on the way. He's building a family. My happiness shouldn't bother him in the least. I can be happy on my own."

Each step she takes seems to riccochet around everyone. Sasuke is stiff, still, and quiet as she approaches. The blood that rushes around his eardrums seems too loud. His heard beats too hard. His chest rises and falls too erratically.

He's nervous.

"I won't ask Ino for any more advice. She means well, but she sways me in directions I don't want to head. That hurts me sometimes. I don't like it."

Her fingertips brush his forearm, and slide up his biceps to his shoulders. They're broad, muscular and smooth—Sakura can feel his skin even through the materal of his shirt.

"My mom needs to accept me for who I am, and who I am not. I don't regret what I said to her, but I regret how I said it. I don't care if I don't live up to her expectations. I don't need anyone to make me feel wanted or worth it."

Sasuke closes his eyes and reaches up to Sakura's jaw. He cradles it, rubbing the rough pads of his thumbs over the thin skin of her reddened cheeks.

He wants her to know all of his secrets. He wants her to know about the Uchiha, and the coup d'etat. He wants her to know the truth about Itachi, and what happened in Orochimaru's hideouts. She needs to know about the geisha, his life on the run, his thoughts when he decided to destroy Konoha.

He wants her to know how it felt when she tried to kill him. He wants her to know how _he_ felt, when he tried to kill her.

Everything is not so simple, though. Most stories start from the beginning, and Sasuke understands this. Before Sakura can know any of his past, she needs to know how much she meant to him when he left the village. She needs to know that her emotions were valid, and that he was an idiot for breaking things off the way he did.

When the scene replays once more, Sasuke knows it wont cut off when Sakura feints this time.

Sasuke is okay with that.

* * *

I am thirteen. Sakura's hair tickles my nose and my lips. It doesn't smell like rainforest mint, but instead, she carries the aroma of the outdoors. She had been waiting for me long enough to alter her scent.

She knew what I was going to do.

I aim for her neck, adding just enough pressure to incapacitate her for a good half-hour. I may have gone overboard, but I'm weak. I don't want her to wake up too soon. I don't want her to come after me again. I know what I've done is wrong, but it's a necessity _._ Sakura can stop me in my most hellish of forms, and, more worrisome, Sakura would die trying. I can't even muster up a better insult than, "You're annoying," to break her heart. It's hard for me to hurt her beyond truths.

She _is_ annoying, after all.

Her hands hold to my shirt tightly. Even in unconsciousness she battles for my well being. Tears slide across her cheeks, oozing from pink eyelashes and it makes my legs shake.

I can't keep myself upright any longer.

I fall to my knees.

I give in to my weakness.

For all to see, I lose myself in Sakura's lips for the first time. In the present, Sakura shakes. Her palms press into my shoulders. She captures her lip between her teeth hard enough for blood to trickle out.

She watches as I steal a kiss I had no right to own. She watches my mouth brush against her forehead, the one she was teased about relentlessly in her schoolyard days. Both eyelids beckoned me, and the taste of saltine droplets help me with my convictions, for they have the same flavor of my childhood sobs.

I still had an ambition to fulfill, and it had been alive even longer than I've known this girl.

But in my teenage head, I think there can be a happy ending. I think that, once I become stronger, I can kill Itachi and I can kill Orochimaru and I can _come back_. Liquid pours from my own eyes as I ponder all of these impossible, unreachable things.

 _"_ _ **I'll come back for you."**_ I say. And I meant it.

But I didn't come back.

I didn't think I ever would.

I have not seen heaven or hell, but I've been in the in-between. It is not a land of milk and honey, but one of trial and tribulation. Just like on this screen, I watched my life play out over again. I saw every mistake I'd ever made.

I don't have any problems facing Death. I'll take whatever shackle I'm dealt. I know that I deserve it.

Sakura is not like Death. She is incredibly forgiving—too forgiving—but she is also smart enough to know when she can't take it any more.

The thirteen-year-old I used to be removes her hands from my shirt, and kisses her palm delicately. You can see the resolve in my eyes. You can see my dedication, even as I walk away from her body and head towards my future.

I can't see any of that in Sakura.

She has a face that shows no emotion, almost as if her **Inner Sakura** has broken free. This expressionless monotone is almost too much for me to handle. I tilt her head up, and keep moving my thumbs over her soft skin.

"And what will you tell me?" I ask. I deserve to be rebuked, too.

* * *

I'm used to difficult situations, especially as a doctor. There's _always_ something going on in my practice—heart attacks, broken bones, deliveries. At work, it's okay if I pretend. I'll hold Mrs. Yona's hand even though she bit me earlier that day. I'll give little Noi his sticker and lollipop, even though he said I looked like a fat cow.

But it's not okay to pretend in real life. It's not okay to keep falling behind, and relying on others to make me happy. Sasuke was the first to notice I was becoming over-watered. Naruto, Ino, my mother—they all helped be bloom into a courageous young woman, but now my petals are wilting because I'm too afraid to stand up to them, and make my own decisions.

I don't want to waste away.

When I look at Sasuke, his face is stern and serious. I've long since forgotten about the crowds around us, all watching his life as if it were some cheesy soap-opera. They all wait for me to do something.

Hell, even _I_ wait for me to do something!

My emotions are all dried up. I don't want to cry, or smile, or scream anymore. All I want to do is touch Sasuke, just to make sure he's real—just to make sure this is all happening. I didn't know that I meant anything to him. I never thought I meant anything to him.

I'm not surprised when my hands travel up from his shoulders to the long line of his neck. I _am_ kind of surprised I didn't choke him out, but anger isn't even processing as an emotion right now.

The truth is, I am drawn to him. He is an ocean, and I'm a boat, trying my best to drop anchor and hold the _fuck on._ I've experienced low-tides—tides of sadness and emotion. I've been through deadly hurricanes—with his own hand around my neck, and with his willingness to destroy my home and my people. And finally, I've drifted on his lazy waves as he sent me to the shores of ecstasy, digging teeth into my flesh the entire way there.

I touch his cheeks with my fingertips, and cradle his chin as softly as I can. I don't want to say these things ever again, so I make sure his attention is me completely. I hurt. I feel broken. My boat is drifting further and further away, and it's not _okay._

"Sasuke, I don't need you."

It feels as though I've swallowed a ball of cotton. Like I've stuck a toothpick under my toenail and kicked a wall. Like I've brushed my teeth with foil, and rinsed with burning _sake_. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to say, but I've done it, and there's no stopping now.

"I don't need you, like I thought I did when I was thirteen. I don't need you to make my dreams come true, to grant my every wish. I don't need you to make me feel complete, or like a woman, or like I'm worth something."

He closes his eyes again and leans into my gravity, touching my nose with his own.

"You're not what wakes me up in the morning. I can survive when you leave tonight. I won't beg you to stay. I won't fall into depression and hate myself and try to be better than I already am. I like who I am. I love my flaws and my imperfections. I don't care who wants me and who doesn't...

...because...because...

I care about who _I_ want. I don't need you, Sasuke."

I crash my mouth into his, and he doesn't even have time to react. It's like the first time all over again—our teeth hit painfully and I'm pretty sure I've busted my own lip. It's the farthest thing from romantic as I can get, but somehow, with Sasuke, it's somehow the sweetest kiss I've ever shared with him.

"But I want you," I admit aloud. "I want you, Sasuke. I want you every morning and every night, I want you forever and for always, until my body is rotting in the ground and I'm waiting for you beyond the clouds with the gods. I want you so badly it hurts."

"Sakura—" He says, huffing his hot breath across my face. I don't let him finish.

"Don't tell me that it's impossible, because I can triumph over _any_ impossibility. Don't tell me that I don't understand, because my IQ is higher than yours _hands down_. I don't want to hear anything but a yes, or a no, Sasuke Uchiha. I just need to say this, I need to ask, I need to _know._ I'm done feeling this way."

He peeks at me from beyond his tussled fringe, from beyond his too-feminine-for-such-a-masculine-man eyelashes, from beyond his obsidian and amethyst eyes, all the way into the deepest part of my soul.

I ask, "Will you marry me?"

And I start hear the pounding of one-thousand horses' hooves.

After a long, long pause, Sasuke wipes his face with his hands a mumbles: "I'm already yours."

And I realize that that _pounding_ doesn't belong to my heart, but it belongs to the people of Konoha. They erupt with applause and cheer, shaking the ground harder than I've felt before. These people that I would die to protect—these people that Sasuke has sworn to look over—they all bellow and holler out praise.

My fingers and toes vibrate from it all. A breath I didn't know I had been holding is released, only so I can suck up another and scream as loud as I can.

"He said yes," I push Sasuke away, throwing my arms up in the air. " _He said yes_!"

I feel Naruto wrap his arms around me, swinging my body like a rag doll. My stomach falls drops low from the force of the tugs, but I don't care. I'm too busy with my joy.

"He said yes!" we repeat together. I suddenly feel an overwhelming urge to kiss Naruto, so I do. I plant my lips on his chin, and when I see Kakashi make his way through the arena's opening, I sprint towards him and kiss him, too.

"He said yes, Kakashi-sensei!"

"I heard."

Kakashi doesn't hold me much longer, because Sasuke has had enough of my fawning. He heaves me over his shoulder in one go, yelling threats at both of his teammates.

"Stop letting her kiss you, perverts."

"I WON'T STOP!" Naruto exclaims. "YOU SAID YES!"

"Yay," Kakashi exclaims dryly. "What fun. Hoorah. More paperwork."

"Don't be silly, Kakashi!" the blond man announces. "You've already don't half of it. Sasuke's been married to Sakura for a good half-month now, right?"

Suddenly, Sakura freezes in Sasuke's arms. The audience has yet to catch on to the sudden change, but Team 7 comprehends the flop of emotion rather quickly. In a dark, almost demonic voice, Sakura asks: " _What did you say?"_

Putting her down slowly, all three men back away, keeping their distance as best as possible. No one knew just how formidable an Uchiha matriarch could be.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Aaaaaand, I have just ONE MORE THING to add. The epilogue! I probably added way to many scenes, but I hope it wasn't boring. I genuinely pray that this ended in a plausible way. Does your heart feel like it's gonna fall out of your butt? Mine does. Mine does.**

 **For the next part, we will see some really great stuff. At least,** ***I* think so! I'll tie off any leftover loose ends that I have, like Sakura's relationship with her parents and Ino after all of this. And of course, the big baby reveal! How will Sasuke react? I'm typing it as quickly as possible and it will be out within the next two weeks. Hopefully sooner. I'm really TRYING!**

 **As always, it's been a wonderful ride. Thank you everyone for participating. Thanks for catching me up, for questioning me, for hating my guts. I love you all.**


	51. Chapter 51: The Next Generation

Chapter 51: The Next Generation

Tsunade twirls a red fingernail around the rim of a glass of iced water. She wishes it was filled with something a _bit_ more mind numbing, but it's too hot and too early to start drinking as of yet. She must admit she's not the same spry fifty-year-old she once was.

Now, she's _54._

Her former student sits across from her in a long, flowing dress. The color is a diluted blue, emblazoned with uchiwa fans of white and red. Thick, twin braids fall from her shoulder and sweep against the tops of her thighs, blowing gently because of the drafty window. She captures a full, plump lip between gnawing teeth.

"Lady Tsunade, I've…gotten fat."

Now, Tsunade has heard a lot of strange things in her lifetime. She's treated a lot of strange things, too. Birth, death, and all that is between is both peculiar and amazing in its own right. Getting _thicker_ doesn't really register in those categories, though. She scoffs.

"I guess Sasuke's been feeding you well, then?"

Sakura shoots her sensei a flustered look. "It's not like he's been forcing food down my throat. We've been traveling for months now; you'd think I'd be losing weight instead of gaining! But no matter how big my meal is, I find myself craving _more._ And it's not just that."

Standing up to reach her satchel, the woman digs through its contents until she finds a leather-bound journal. "This is a log of how often I've been urinating. Look at this! It seems like every hour I'm going to the bathroom! I woke up _five times_ last night."

"Could it be a kidney infection, or a UTI?" Tsunade asks with an eye roll.

"It's not. I've tested. And there's more, too. My breasts hurt, I'm always bloated…"

"Surly that's just a symptom of a newlywed?"

Sakura's round cheeks heat up and she plops back down in the wooden chair she'd previously occupied. With a huff, she exclaims, "I wish you'd take me more seriously."

Exhaling a heavy, exasperated outbreath, the blonde woman rips out a fresh sheet of paper from Sakura's journal and jots down all of her symptoms, while asking a few questions here and there. As the ink slides against the parchment, a familiar pattern starts to form. A young, newlywed woman who is experiencing weight gain, frequent urination, tender breasts and bloating—really, what else _could_ it be?

"Sakura, have you taken a pregnancy test?"

The switch that Sakura's face displays is almost dizzying. In battle, her sweet smile could turn into a sour, hellish snarl at the snap of a finger. In Tsunade's office, her frustrated huffs turn into something a bit more menacing.

"This isn't a joke, Lady Tsunade. How can you say something like that to me _?"_

Sakura remembers the pain that erupted through her when Tsunade had told her of her infertility. A multitude of factors had caused the trauma—Sakura's uterus had been swollen because of her menstrual cycle, and the fact that it was tilted had allowed for Sasori's poisoned sword to nick the thin flesh of her womb. If it had been any other woman, the problem would have been void.

But it wasn't any other woman.

It was Sakura.

Her abilities back then were to mend and heal, but she could not _make._ Sakura could stop an arm from bleeding, but she could not grow a new one. The scar within her body was enough to halt even her monthly cycle, and after a few months of devastation, it became a new part of her life. Now, occasional spotting was the new norm, and she'd even go months at a time with no redness.

So, how could the woman who broke this life-altering news to Sakura, look her right in the face and say something so absurd?

"I'm not much of a jokester," Her former teacher says lackadaisically. "Even…protection…isn't foolproof. Have you been taking birth control? Have you been tracking your period?"

Sakura knows these questions all too well; she's asked them to many women. The genuine tone of her sensei's voice calms her fury—perhaps she has…forgotten. After all, it may have been a huge devastation for Sakura, but for Tsunade, it was just another sad diagnosis she had to give.

Clearing her voice, the glowing woman speaks slowly, as if her words will penetrate better that way. "Lady Tsunade, I lost my ability to have children when I was 16. …You were the one that completed the examination."

Incredulously, her teacher laughs. It's not a sharp "HA!" or a tinkling, "Ha-ha!"—no, the guffaw that erupts behind those painted red lips tumbles out like _thunder._

Never in all of her life has Sakura come across something like this. Humiliation fills her, so she stands and gathers up the journal she'd laid on the table. She wants to find Sasuke. She wants to fall into his arms and tell him about how awful Tsunade is, and cry into a big mound of mochi ice cream.

Only when she whips around and heads for the door do the giggles stop. From Tsunade's mouth comes a serious question—one that halts Sakura completely. "Do you remember when you released your Strength of a Hundred seal, Sakura?"

"Of course," She hisses, rolling her eyes sassily. " _I'm_ not forgetful. It was during the War."

Tracing her manicured nail around the opening of her iced water once more, the older woman sighs. "Uh huh…and what about Creation Rebirth—you do know what that is, right?"

"What, you're lecturing me now, too? Obviously I know what it is!"

"Explain it."

The door knob was undoubtedly warping under the petal-haired woman's intense grip. Still, she couldn't find the strength to fling it open and walk away from someone that had been her superior for so long—someone that taught her almost everything she's ever known.

As always, Sakura's voice is sure and eloquent.

"When you release stored chakra, cell division becomes stimulated by the proteins within your body."

"Is that all?"

Sakura doesn't like to be made a fool of. She turns towards her teacher fully, gripping her satchel now instead of the damaged brass handle. "Organs are reconstructed, and so is tissue. Scars are healed, wounds are reversed—as long as chakra still remains it's impossible to die or become harmed while the technique is active."

There's a…pregnant pause between the two women. The broken shutters by the window flap against each other, sending distorted beams of sunlight to the floor below. The scent of disinfectant and off-brand cleaning supplies waft between them, filling up the silence until Sakura finally can't stand it anymore.

"If you've got something to say, then say it."

This time, it's Tsunade that stands. She walks over to a cabinet, pulls out a box of pregnancy tests, and lays the packaged stick on the counter top. Using the built-in sink within her office, the untouched ice water is poured down the drain and both items remain side by side, taunting Sakura with their very existence.

"You know, I'm just going to blame your snarky attitude on hormones instead of insubordination. Hormones, however, don't make you _stupid._ Honestly, Sakura, if I have to spell it out for you I will. Your body is completely healed."

Then, handing her student the empty glass and a packaged test, she exits the room to wait outside of the door. It takes all of three minutes to get a result.

* * *

"Lord Sasuke?"

Sasuke looks up from his blade and watches as one of Sakura's slugs wiggles its way upon his boot. Its head cocks to the left, and then to the right, as if it was waiting for confirmation.

"Hm?"

It was rare to see one of Sakura's summonses. She normally brought forth Katsuyu when many people were in danger. The villagers still ambled about normally, paying no heed to the dark traveler that waited patiently by the gaits. He could not smell forewarning in the wind.

Maybe she'd stopped for food somewhere…

…Again.

He stands and tries not to convey any disgust as the creature slimes to his shoulder. In his hear, she whispers directions, leading him deep into the heart of the city. The building he stood in front of was ramshackle and unpainted—thoroughly uninteresting to look at. As he stares, a man and a woman exit the door and shoot Sasuke a brief smile.

They both cradle her belly, overjoyed by their news.

"Go in," The slug orders, nuzzling into the flap of his collar. "She's waiting for you."

Sasuke is not afraid, or worried about what he might find. His wife was independent and random—she'd sent him on all sorts of arbitrary excursions since they'd left the village together.

As a couple, Sasuke and Sakura had been traveling for five months now. The Jōnin Exams had been a specular failure—perfectly imperfect—causing no gain in his ninja status.

His bachelor status, however, was officially revoked.

At first, it was a bit strange to travel alongside someone else. The morning of his departure, his wife had showed up with a packed travel bag, holding out her official missions slip from Kakashi. " _He says you have to take me on our honeymoon. It's a mission, Sasuke, so you've got to do it."_

As if he could deny her, anyways.

He shakes away his thoughts and steps inside the building. The hallway that stretches from its small, empty lobby is dim and menacing. Every other lightbulb is out, and it causes his shadow to appear wider than normal. There are voices, quiet and shushed, coming from the room further to the left.

The slug disappears when he enters it.

Stretched out onto a bed lay his wife. Her blue dress was drawn up just under her breasts, exposing every inch of her long legs and healthy torso. She'd always been too thin for a ninja—but she's beautiful either way.

"Hi, darling," She whispers, reaching her arm out to him. "You remember Tsunade, don't you?"

The woman behind Sakura waves her hand dismissively, not needing to be reintroduced. She knows more about Sasuke than she'd like to admit—she _was_ Hokage, after all.

"Are you okay?" He asks. Her palms seem stickier than normal. Sasuke's not sure why Tsunade has Sakura's clothing up so high, but the stirrups on the side of the cot lead him to assume it was just an average, female checkup.

…Whatever that entailed was beyond his realm of knowledge.

"I'm fine. Just hold my hand."

Sakura reaches out with her left, knowing only his right would match between her fingers. His prosthetic arm had long since been removed—he couldn't stand battling with the dead flesh any longer.

Their fingers lace together and Sasuke sits by her side, running her knuckles across his lips. He has no idea what he's in for, but the mood in the room wasn't life-threatening. He's sure his wife won't have cancer, or a major illness, or anything worrisome. Perhaps she just wanted his company while Tsunade ran her tests.

Tsunade rolls a monitor down to the foot of the bed, adjusting the screen with quick taps to a keyboard. The object in her hand looks strange.

"That's a transducer," Sakura explains. "I'm getting an ultrasound."

Sasuke nods his head, sure now that this has something to do with Sakura's hourly restroom trips. He knows nothing about medicine or hospitals beyond physical examinations.

The blonde, former Hokage smears a jelly-like lubricant onto the transducer, and then presses it firmly into Sakura's stomach. Sasuke watches with fascination as the wand slides around, coating her skin with the greasy substance.

"Does that hurt?" He asks her out of curiosity.

"It's not comfortable, but I'm fine."

On the screen, patches of white start to show up. His wife expertly names out a few of her own throbbing organs—"That's my kidney, and that's my womb."

Sasuke's eyes narrow, watching as something flickers from inside of her. A mass of fuzzy, unclear greyness moves in and out of view. "What is that?"

No one answers him; they don't need to. All at once a figure comes to view—a white, curved spine, a round, large head, kicking and squirming arms and legs. It's a baby, a human baby.

…A human baby inside of Sakura's belly.

Sasuke's body becomes very, very still.

"I'm a momma," his wife says to him. She doesn't look displeased or nervous. If anything, she _glows_. "You've given me a child."

And when he can finally peel his eyes away from the ultrasound, he buries his face into her chest, squeezing tightly onto her slender hand. So many emotions run rampant within his soul—he's worried, confused, and overjoyed simultaneously. Fainting is also a probability, too.

As quietly as she can, Tsunade prints off a photo and lays it beside the machine. When they leave Sakura slips it between the pages of her journal under a fresh, blank page.

With opaque, blue ink she writes, "Hello, little one."

* * *

It is nighttime now. By the glow of moonlight that seeps through the thin cloth of their tent, Sakura sees the redness of Sasuke's eyes, and feels the sting of her own.

The couple had talked about a lot, because there had been a lot to talk about. Both had made it a point to enjoy their first few years of married life, not hung up on previous misdeeds or unanswered questions. Sasuke had never been forthcoming with most of his past, and Sakura had learned to accept him in all of his mysterious ways.

But they were going to be parents now, and there was so much to be done.

Sakura does not think of baby booties and tiny onesies and white-lace crib bedding. She doesn't think of large bows, toy trucks, or pacifiers.

She thinks of guilt. Guilt, guilt, guilt—because _how_ could she not _know_ she was pregnant? Sakura questions her status as a medical ninja and as the operator of a hospital. She questions every diagnosis she's ever made, every paper she'd signed her signature on, every important decision she'd ever OK'd.

"I'm so _stupid._ "

Sasuke wakes in an instant, turning his head to face Sakura. Her fists are clenching the fabric of her bedroll tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," She answers quickly. "Everything's wrong, nothing's right—I'm so _stupid_ Sasuke."

Her husband sits up in his mat and searches the floor for his canteen. He hands it to her. "You're not stupid."

The canteen is cool, much like the night air around them. Sakura takes in the liquid greedily and wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I could have hurt her, Sasuke."

The first trimester of her pregnancy had already come and gone. All of the signs were there—nausea, though it wasn't limited to the mornings, frequent urination, bloating, and tender breasts. In three weeks' time her third trimester would be here, and she had done nothing to prepare body.

Sakura ran—she fought, she trained and battled. There was no doubt in her mind that she'd lifted things that exceeded the fifty-pound weight limit. Sakura drank too much tea—caffeine is a no-no—she took steaming hot baths, she at _raw_ sushi! All of these things put their child in _danger_ , and this blessing Sakura had been oblivious to thrived anyhow.

"You didn't know you were pregnant, Sakura. I have no doubt you would have done everything in your power to follow the "rules" had you known."

Tsunade mentioned that the tilt of Sakura's uterus affected how much she showed and felt. Sakura cradled her hands around her stomach—the one she'd been embarrassed of for months now because of its growing size. She is _six months pregnant_ and only has a gentle slope to prove it.

Sakura does not feel flutters or kicks. She does not feel thumps, or a heartbeat—" _It's because baby is sitting too far back, Sakura."_

As she rubs the tight, thick skin of her abdomen, she feels Sasuke approach. His movements aren't calculated or pristine like they normally are. He is timid and a bit clumsy, fumbling with the zipper of her sleeping bag.

"What are you doing?"

Delicately, Sasuke uncovers his wife and slips into the warmth of her blanket. The shear gown she slept in was slowly lifted up, exposing the creamy glow of porcelain skin. "I want to talk to him."

Sakura watches in amazement as this new side of Sasuke comes out. He slides down into her bag, running smooth fingers along her bump. His lips leave trails of butterfly kisses; his nose tickles the outwards poke of her bellybutton, and Sakura can't do anything but smile and dry her tears.

"I'm papa," Sasuke explains, twirling circles into her flesh. "I'm so happy you're in there. I love you,"

Sakura runs her fingers through her husband's hair. "I love you too."

Shooting up a cunning, uncommon smile, Sasuke retorts, "I was talking to my son."

* * *

"So, should I keep this a surprise still? I just got my mother's letter yesterday, and I still haven't replied to Naruto or Ino yet."

They have been traveling for two months now, heading back to Konoha. In that time, Sakura has started to show more, and now there's no doubt she's pregnant. Her face radiates with the shine of motherhood and her mannerisms have become less harsh; she steps with light, sure feet and she's always aware of her surroundings.

Sometimes, she reminds him of his own mother.

Sasuke had planned on being in Konoha for the birth of their son. Traveling throughout winter had been a difficult task, but his wife was fervent and determined. The way things looked now, they'd be in Konoha by April—just in time for their child to be born.

"We've held it in this long. I see no point in spoiling it now."

Sakura huffs, spreading out blank papers along the wooden table of a tea house. Her water leaves ringlets on a napkin—her gyoza remains untouched. The pen that she balances between her nose and upper lip sways as she tilts her head back and forth.

"I know, I know, but I' just can't _wait!_ Hinata's about to have her baby, too. Our kid's will be in the same grade—and maybe the same _team_. And they don't know anything about it?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes, stealing one of his wife's dumplings. "Tell your father I said hello."

"Not my mother?"

He shrugs, winking his dark, amethyst eye.

Suddenly, Sakura stands, cupping both hands on her round stomach. Under her red dress you can see thumps—the smallest beats of movement from the Uchiha heir. "Quick, darling,"

Sasuke's hand covers her bellybutton and smooths around her cotton fabric, trying to locate the thrashes of his offspring. The infant sat down lowly on Sakura's hips, so it was on rare occasion she felt such strong activity. For Sasuke, he'd never experienced it.

There, just two inches above her navel, his child reacts. They press against one another, with his wife's skin between, feeling their movements for the first time.

Carefully removing his hand, Sasuke presses his face to her abdomen and smooths his lips across its surface. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sasuke."

Her husband looks up from beneath the fringe of his coal-black hair. Smirking with playfulness he says, "I was talking to my son."

* * *

It was almost time. Sakura could feel it in her bones—the way her child had dropped lower into her pelvis, the way her hips started to spread, the her sore breasts engorged themselves with colostrum for nourishment.

Sakura would hold her child very, very soon.

It had been a difficult waiting period. She is almost grateful now, in hindsight, that she hadn't known she was pregnant from the beginning. How does anyone handle nine full months of waiting?

She bites her lip, terrified of the fact that, even after a long and tedious birth, her child was still not out of the woods yet.

In fact, neither was she nor Sasuke. They had made excellent time—it was near the end of March now, and in about three days they'd cross the threshold into Konoha and start their lives anew. Still, there wasn't a calendar in Sakura's womb. Baby got to choose when she'd arrive.

Sasuke had already arranged everything. His sources had moved all of Sakura's clothing and décor into their new home—Sasuke said to toss the furniture, and after a heated debate, he'd won. Sakura _had_ had that coffee table for years now, and she'd found it on the side of the road.

Whatever. At least her wreath would be on the front door, if Naruto hadn't chunked the whole thing in the trashcan.

The gravida tosses in her bedroll, fighting off another Braxton Hicks contraction. She'd experienced them in bouts near the last few months of her pregnancy, but this was a bit more painful that usual.

"Are you alright?"

Half asleep and slurring his words, Sasuke presses against her. His body is hot, like the fire of his clan—like the warmth of his child within her. Sliding his hand up and down the length of her arm he tries his best to soothe her.

Her husband turns her towards him, pressing her bare stomach against his. It had become a regular routine, in which he savored the fluttering pressure of their child's kicks on his own abdomen.

"Yeah I'm—."

Another contraction waves through her. She holds her breath, trying to fight the sharp pain. The woman counts to 42 before the jolt disappears, and then she sucks in the night's wind like a fish on land. Sasuke is wide awake now, looking levelly into her eyes with concern.

"What is it? Are you alright?"

Her smile shines, though it's too early in the morning for neither the sun nor the moon to cast a light. His wife brushes off his worry and they talk about their meaningless things—it's just another restless night, and it's one of many more to come.

Five minutes come and go—five blissful minutes of inconsequential words and laughs and kisses—when another cramp rocks throughout Sakura's core.

It's just as strong as the last one, starting from her back to her middle, spreading out like the branches of the blooming cherry trees they rested under. Her hand reaches for Sasuke's and she squeezes, tightly enough to bruise, and Sasuke can't do anything except hold her right back.

Panic starts to flow throughout the pregnant woman. She steadies her rampant heart, sitting up to make sure that she's not just adding an uncomfortable pressure on her child. The change of position does nothing.

"She's coming, Sasuke."

Mamushi glides along the soil of the forest, carrying his passengers like some sort of _damn_ pack mule. Snakes were neither nocturnal nor diurnal—they did, however, favor balmy days over frigid springtime mornings. The sun hadn't even come out yet, for goodness sake!

His tongue darts from his mouth, tasting the air for any scent of antiseptic. As fast as he was traveling, it would still take a day—perhaps a half-day—to get to Konoha, so a hospital was very much needed.

As much as he _didn't_ know about labor, Mamushi wasn't sure the she-devil on his back could wait much longer. _If that slug bleeds on me, I swear…_

"OH MY GOD," Sakura screams into the air. "GET HER OUT! GET HER OUT!"

"Sakura," The coolness of Sasuke's voice has never been more annoying to her. "Keep him in; we still have a while to go."

"IF YOU SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY THINK I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE HER RIGHT HERE ON THE BACK OF THIS TALKING WATER-HOSE, YOU'RE DEAD WRONG."

Tusking, Mamushi ruffles his scales and bites out a remark. "This "water-hose" is more than willing to flick you off with the end of his tail."

He doesn't have to look to see his masters glare.

He _feels_ it.

Instead of berating his summon, Sasuke brushes Sakura's hair from across her damp forehead. "How much longer, Mamushi?"

"A day, give or take."

Eight hours was simply not an option. The shrieks of pain that came from Sakura's mouth only meant their child would be here within the next few _hours_ , if not minutes. He helps her through another powerful jolt and covers her with his brown poncho, keeping the cold air from her sensitive, sweaty skin.

"Go to Orochimaru's hideout."

It was the only call he could make, there simply was no other option—not any safe ones, at least. If his calculations were correct, they could make it there in ten minutes time. It wasn't the best place to bring a child into this world, but it was sterile, and he was sure _someone_ with medical knowledge would be nearby. Even if it was Orochimaru himself.

Sakura does not— _can_ not pay any attention to the happenings around her. Her teeth start to ache from her pressure. Her flesh is clammy; her eyes are blurry with tears, and the pulsating from her middle is nothing compared to even her most devastating battle injuries.

After what feels like _months_ of both silent and boisterous suffering, Sasuke's summon stops moving. A man's voice calls out to them—"Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura—is that you?" But Sakura's too out of it to realize it's her former sensei, Yamato.

It takes him all of three seconds to figure out what's going on. In a flash, he takes to Sakura's other side, and both men clamber through the menacing hallway that leads to empty rooms and musty cave-ins.

Yamato has been there long enough to learn his away around, but Sasuke has this place mapped out memorized. It does not take them long to make it to the subject room, where metal tables used to house experiments and abducted humans. This is something Yamato knows _personally._

When they place Sakura on the slab, a thick gush of liquid falls from between her legs—it pours and pours. The hot fluid splashes down on Yamato's uncovered toes, and he's too afraid to look down. Will it be yellow, like urine? Or will it be red, like blood?

"My amniotic sac has broken," Sakura explains. "Get—ah!—get fresh cloths, and clean water basin. Quickly, quickly,"

She's alert enough to realize that she's probably going to have to direct two non-medically inclined men around the inner workings of her vagina, and explain to them how to help direct out her baby without losing her cool or consciousness.

It's not the most pleasant experience she can imagine, but it's a necessary one. The white, stinging pain only aids in her worry, but when Sasuke's smooth lips spread across her fingertips, she knows their infant is in good hands.

After a few minutes, it is not Yamato that returns. In the doorway stands a tall woman with long, lean legs that aren't hidden from view, and a formal button-up shirt that covers the bite marks that mar her skin.

"I can't believe it. He knocked you up!"

Instead of chiding any further, or beating around the bush, the woman makes her way towards Sakura and Sasuke and rolls up her sleeves. The latex gloves that form to her hand are blue. Her fingers disappear within Sakura, and before Sasuke can even say anything to stop her she announces: "You're fully dilated. Congratulations, I feel babies head! And what's this—it's a bit of fuzz…hell, baby's gonna have a full head of hair!"

"You feel her?" Sakura asks. "Is she alright?"

Sasuke takes a step towards his old teammate. "Can you deliver him, Karin?"

"Her, him—you don't know the gender, eh? Yeah, yeah, don't worry Sasuke. This isn't my first rodeo. I'll have your little Uchiha out in no time flat."

For as long as he's known Karin, Sasuke has determined her worth on her usefulness. In this moment, when she is the only one skilled enough to bring his child into the world, he sees her like the gem she is and deserves to be treated as.

Forever, from now on, Karin is _important._ And Sasuke doesn't want to think about where they'd be if this woman had died as a result of the injury he gave her in his battle with Danzo.

With a nonchalant flow, Karin shuffles around the room and gathers supplies quickly. In the corner, she places a sturdy wooden chair, and on the floor she drapes out a thick patch of square linen.

"Take off your shirt, Sasuke, and go sit over there."

He cannot remember the last time he's been ordered around in such a way, and never in his life had he taken to kindly to it. But without any kind of remark, he does what he's told, and only when he's positioned correctly does Karin check on Sakura.

"Alright, I'm going to let you sit on Sasuke's lap, okay? You're going to face him, and I'm going to be underneath, and when baby comes out you'll both do skin-to-skin contact."

Her steady, quick fingers make light work of Sakura's dress. "It's just you, me and Sasuke in here. And in a few minutes, it's going to be you, me, Sasuke and your little baby. So don't be embarrassed. Follow me."

Sasuke watches the slow amble of his wife, and the steady drip of clear liquid that drips down her thighs. Within that water, their child sustained life. But it's time for them to meet.

 _It's time for you to come out._

Sasuke feels the swollen heat of Sakura's breasts and the tight, hardness of her belly press against his naked chest. Her weight is secured over his lap. She pants, squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for Karin to direct her to the next round of action.

In his life, Sasuke has seen many beautiful things. He's seen the sunrise and the sunset—he's seen freshly powdered snow over untouched lands. With a simple look, Sasuke has brought out the purity of his wife's smile. With his pressure inside of her body, he's seen Sakura touch heaven—and he's touched it himself.

None of it—not any single thing compared to the untainted magnificence of his other half, sitting on his thighs, birthing their first child.

Through the screams, the nails digging in his back, the tears—through the yells of, "Push, Sakura, push, push, push!", Sasuke feels the pressure of her stomach loosen. His woman, pale and agonized, takes the biggest breath of air he's heard her take in since their child started pressing against the underside of her lungs. Sakura holds it; savors it.

Karin is beneath them, ordering Sakura to breath, making the noises herself. She directs her when to start pushing again, and by the second big push, a thatch of dark hair comes into view. "I see the head,"

And from there, with a gentle twisting motion and what feels like hours of silence, an infant is born.

Two humans, brought together not by happenstance or design—but by tenacity, have created another by the simple conjunction of their bodies. Two humans, flawed and perfect in their own rights, have done the _amazing._

Two humans have become three.

"...And she's a girl!"

Karin's movements are fluid, as if she's a practiced midwife. The redhead immediately presses their child between them—she is blue and purple and has thick, midnight, cream-coated hair that curls every which way. Everything about her is perfect, so perfect.

Except she doesn't breathe, and she doesn't cry. She is limp and unmoving.

Sasuke is unmoving as Karin's deft hands clean and massage the newborn. Sakura cries, reaching out for the nasal aspirator so she can suction the fluid from her baby's lungs. Both women speak, urging the child to life.

"C'mon, let's say hi to mommy and daddy."

"Wake up, baby, wake up."

"That's a good girl, you're a strong one! Breathe for me okay? Breathe for mama?"

Through the urging voices, a third one appears. Sasuke can hear his mother—he can almost feel her touch. She whispers memories into the shell of his ear that have been long forgotten, trapped in the confines of an innocent boys mind.

 _Did you know I thought you were going to be a girl, Sasuke? I was going to name you Sarada. Isn't that a pretty name? She's beautiful, son. She's beautiful._

Closing his eyes, Sasuke exhaled, breathing the heat of his clan into his newborn's body. The protection of his people—his father and mother, his brother and cousins—willed itself through the pores of her untouched skin.

Everyone around him is frantic, working the infant's limbs to wake her from this slumber—but Sasuke is calm. He smiles, kisses the girls head, and calls to her.

"Sarada,"

And just like that, Sarada awakes. She startles, flinging her arms out from the deep timbre of her father's voice. She has heard it, become familiar with it inside of her mother's liquid core. It's nothing like the female voices that had been beckoning to her. This one is _papa._

Like a howling cat, the infant's cries start from low in her chest. Through her wails, her parents cradle her between them, engulfing her in their warmth of their bodies. She cries and cries, filling her lungs with the oxygen that deems her human; _important_ , and _real._

Sarada is alive. She is healthy, and perfect, and _beautiful_.

Sasuke kisses the infant, letting his lips linger on her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sasuke."

Holding Sakura's hand, Sasuke says: "I was talking to my daughter...but I love you, too."

* * *

"How are you doing?"

Karin is the first voice and face Sakura sees. The room she is in is incredibly dim, lit only by a lamp that hasn't been dusted in what seems like ages. The duvet is fresh and clean, however, and the woman finds herself sinking lower and lower into it.

"This is Sasuke's old room, he says. I didn't know he'd stayed so close to Konoha before. If I would have known, I'd have gone through everything already."

Sakura cannot even muster up a smile. "Where is she? Where is my daughter?"

She doesn't remember much. The emptiness of her stomach is the first thing she notices about her body, along with the sore, stickiness between her legs. Everything hurts, as if she's been passed by with a steam roller. None of this hurt compares to the worry brought on by maternal instinct, however.

"Sasuke has her. You've…been resting. She had some meconium in her lungs, so I've been keeping her on oxygen for the time being. Sasuke's changed her first few diapers—wonderfully, I might add. He hasn't left her side."

"I need to see her," The woman says urgently. "She must be hungry. She needs to eat."

Before Sakura can strain to stand, Karin pulls out a glass vial. In it, a piece of the umbilical cord that conjoined mother and child sits. "Before…before you go, this belongs to you."

There is a lot of friction between these two—women who once loved and cherished the same man. But Karin feels no jealousy.

"By now, you've the part I've played in the Jōnin Exams. I won't lie and say that, with what I knew then, I would have done things differently. I do know that it wasn't my place to step between your relationship with Sasuke."

"Karin—."

"All I've ever wanted is for Sasuke to truly get what he deserves. For a while, I thought _I_ would be enough for him. But through you, I realize that _I'm_ not. I wanted was to see that smile of his once more—when he saved my life all those years ago. Because of you I've gotten that _ten thousand times over._ "

Sakura says nothing, because there is nothing to be said. She has no words of encouragement or power for this woman who stands before her. Karin's hands tremble and her palm lays flat on that glass vial. So, Sakura listens to her heart and curls the redhead's fingers around that umbilical cord, gracing her with a bright grin.

"Without you, _neither_ of us would have seen Sasuke's joy. I would have had to rely on Yamato, or even worse, Orochimaru to deliver our child. I think that, perhaps, his happiness is something that we've _both_ searched for. I realize now that the only girl that can truly bring it out of him is the one who's needing her mother's milk right now—so we have Sarada to thank for that."

Karin draws the cord to her chest, staring at Sakura with wild eyes.

"I want you to keep that," Sakura continues. "Because you are a part of Sarada's story now, too. Thank you, Karin. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

There's a pregnant silence between them. Karin turns, pivoting on her heel to hide the ugly face of her weeping. "I— _hick—_ I'm so happy you're going to let me keep this, because that's the only reason I— _hick—_ made it so pretty."

Sasuke carries Sarada the most. Not because Sakura doesn't have the stamina or drive to, but because his jealousy knows no bounds. "You've held her for nine whole months. Stop trying to take her from me."

The scent of blooming trees keeps her skin cool, and the weight of her chest has been healthily diminished by her child's feeding. Now she's walking on air, stepping her hardy, boyish steps. "Whatever. Fine. I don't care. Hold her all you want."

Strangely, nothing about being a parent seems _off_. Nothing about having a dependent makes Sakura feel nervous or anxious or anything of the sort. If she were honest, it was the most freeing experience she'd ever gone through.

Bundled in her husband's arms sat their six pound, five ounce _soul_.

Just beyond the horizon, the looming gates of Konoha awaits. The wind that howls from between its wooden slates does not carry the screams of Sasuke's people or the scent of their blood. It smells like _home_ , like late-night dinners and shared baths and the fireball jutsu simmering into nothingness over a green-algae pond.

The Uchiha are no longer a clan of thousands. They are a clan of three, with a story that spans out to the beginning of Team 7. They are "Doer's", made from white moons and bright daylight, enmeshed with **Inner Spirits** and charming foreheads—she-wolfs, non-princes and non-princesses. They propose with rocks they've found on the side of stone benches.

A couple stands by the gate, waving widely as they scream out to their comrades. "Sasuke, Sakura, hurry on over here and come meet my son!"

When they are close enough to where Hinata and Naruto can see the bundle wrapped tightly against Sasuke's chest, Sarada's ever so eloquent uncle announces,

"Wait—is that a fuckin' baby?"

And here starts Boruto and Sarada's beginning— **The Next Generation**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **That's it. The first fanfiction I've ever fully completed, and posted online, is done.**

 **It's bittersweet, to be honest. I'm so blessed and encouraged by all of your reads, comments, and support. I am not a pro at this stuff yet, but I'm going to be going back over this story and editing the big mistakes for a final touch up. Come back to me in a few years and read this alll over again, ya hear?**

 **I'm ALSO going to be posting more stories. I have one in the process right now about Sasuke and Sakura's travels, that is different from this one entirely. Keep up with me, each new story I put out will have SasuSaku in different lights!**

 **I hope you all feel at peace with how this ended. Please contact me through here, or on my Tumblr (BkCeallaigh) if you have certain requests or thoughts that can help me improve as an author! Let me know how you felt about my story, please-if you didn't write a review at all the whole time you were reading, if you just stumbled across this a few days ago...whatever! Just let me know you made it to the end.**

 **I love you all.**

 **Goodbye for now!**


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